Converse Taps Publicis' MediaVest to Support Growing Media Account

Nike footwear brand Converse has hired Publicis Groupe's MediaVest after a review, people familiar with the situation said. Wieden & Kennedy, which is the creative and media shop for Converse parent Nike, had previously supported the Converse media business. Anomaly is the creative agency for the brand. The Andover, Mass.-based sneaker and apparel brand looked at a few large shops, including Omnicom's OMD and independent Horizon. Neither Converse nor the agencies mentioned responded to requests for comment. For MediaVest, the account is small -- $22 million, according to execs -- but it's steeped in pop culture and fashion, adding a bit of fun to a portfolio of big spenders and corporate brands, such as Walmart, Mondelez and Honda. The budget is also up from the $5 million that Converse spent on U.S. measured media last year, according to Kantar Media. Parent Nike, on the other hand, is a huge spender. Converse is also charting aggressive growth goals. Nike predicted during an investor meeting earlier this month that Converse will grow "at a mid-teens average annual growth rate, to $3 billion in revenues by the end of fiscal 2017." Its current revenue is about half that. "Over the next four years the Company expects steady growth from the Chuck Taylor franchise," Nike said in a statement coinciding with the meeting, "with more rapid growth from Converse's other brands, new apparel offerings, expansion of its Direct to Consumer business and conversion of additional markets to direct distribution."

Converse Taps Publicis' MediaVest to Support Growing Media Account

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