As a follow-up to an earlier post, it was announced that Lenovo chose Saatchi & Saatchi NY to create a new global branding campaign. OK, the client ignores minority contenders and hands the prize to an agency that failed to meet its diversity hiring objectives in recent times. Plus, White agency Ogilvy & Mather retains its lead position on the account. Brilliant.
Lenovo Selects Saatchi for New Global Branding Campaign
PC Maker Says Relationship With Ogilvy Will Continue
By Rupal Parekh
NEW YORK -- After a final-round pitch that included presentations at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last week, Lenovo has chosen a new global agency partner, Publicis Groupe’s Saatchi & Saatchi.
According to executives familiar with the situation, the shop beat out stiff competition from MDC Partners’ Crispin Porter & Bogusky and WPP’s Ogilvy & Mather, which has handled Lenovo’s line of “Think”-branded products since the computer maker purchased IBM’s PC division in 2005.
Agencies referred calls to Lenovo, which confirmed Saatchi’s appointment to the roster, while also noting that it doesn’t mean a parting of ways for Ogilvy. “We selected Saatchi & Saatchi to develop a new branding campaign for us, and this is an additional piece of business for us,” a spokesman told Ad Age. “Our existing agency relationship with Ogilvy will continue as is.”
Still, that Lenovo is seeking some fresh brand thinking isn’t surprising considering it has raised the curtain on several new products at CES. Among them, the new “Le Pad” slate, which weighs less than 2 pounds and comes in a variety of colors for about $520 a pop, retailing in China initially. Lenovo also announced thinner and slimmer versions of its ThinkPad laptops and IdeaPad series of netbooks.
The new global branding campaign will be led out of Saatchi’s New York office, which is probably hoping the win marks the start of a busier year on the new-business front than the one it saw in 2010. It’s also the first win under Chief Creative Officer Con Williamson, who jumped to Saatchi from Havas’ Euro RSCG, New York, replacing Gerry Graf.
While the company is a major global player, U.S. spending on the account has plummeted in recent times. According to Kantar Media, Lenovo in 2009 spent a little more than $30 million on domestic measured media, with the majority of it backing the marketing of its ThinkPad line. But between January and October 2010, that figure has dropped to less than $5 million.
I guess the stigma is why let u pitch when your not capable of managing our business anyway. Its not like clients dont know multicultural agencies dont exist. But when a stereotype has been pounded into their heads that multicultural agencies are inferior over and over again. The burrels, uniworlds and global hues will continue to lead a pathetic existence. sadly. They know their roles and pitching for AOR is just out of the question. They cant even complain about the current system, they have been silent so long, their only hope now is still holding onto the petty diversity assignments and projects for the next 3-5 years. After that they are done.
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