That’s the big news from the ad world today. Ad Age and Adweek have respective articles.
Currently, the bulk of the account is split between Austin’s GSD&M and Kansas City’s Bernstein-Rein. And for a long time, too, as Adweek mentions:
GSD&M has worked for the retailer for the past 19 years. Bernstein-Rein has been on the roster for more than 30 years.
And Bernstein’s about to build a new big swanky headquarters, aka the House That Wal-Mart Built.
I have a few questions about this upcoming review:
1) Would Wal-Mart choose an agency that pitches an agreement with the lowest prices (fees)?
2) Wal-Mart’s new CMO is from Target. Will they go for a more hip approach?
3) How much fear and loathing will ad agency execs and account planners from New York, Chicago or San Francisco display as they’re forced to head to an Ames, Iowa SuperCenter to do some research?
4) Can you find Bentonville, Arkansas on a map?
This account is worth $570 million. While GSD&M and B-R plan to defend, you can bet some big agency folks are mulling this one over.
