GE Appliances Names FCB Creative Agency of Record

Haier-owned GE Appliances has named the Chicago office of FCB its creative agency of record following a creative review. The Interpublic Group agency won the business following a competitive review, which came about 18 months after Chinese manufacturer Haier bought the appliance division from GE. GE Appliances brands include Monogram, GE CaféTM, GE, GE ProfileTM, Haier and Hotpoint. In addition to FCB, the review included incumbent BBDO, Ogilvy, MullenLowe and McCann, according to people with knowledge of the matter. BBDO, which declined to comment, had worked for GE since 1920 and continued to work on GE Appliances following its sale to Haier. The agency continues to work on GE's corporate business. "We talked to some of the most talented and forward-thinking agencies in the world, and ultimately found that FCB had the right team for us at this time," said Mary Putman, VP of marketing and brand at GE Appliances, in a statement. "FCB has the range of creativity, capabilities and disruptive thinking necessary to connect with our owners in new, bold ways to help us drive results for our business." FCB will handle advertising, digital, social, shopper marketing and more for GE Appliances' portfolio of brands. FCB will also work with Putnam to create individual identities for all GE Appliances brands to make it easier for consumers, designers and builders to figure out which products best meet their needs. "GE Appliances is an iconic brand, with a strong heritage and track record of delivering category leadership," said Michael Fassnacht, CEO and president of FCB Chicago, in a statement. According to the RFP document, obtained by Ad Age, one of the winning agency's tasks is to promote the Haier brand in North America with a campaign in August that provides a "unique position and story that will help grow share in the mass market segment." Another task is to re-introduce the GE Café line of products in September, which will include positioning it as a standalone brand without the GE mark. Current projections on account size range from $6 million to $8 million for 2018, with an estimated increase of $9 million to $12 million in 2019, according to the RFP.

GE Appliances Names FCB Creative Agency of Record

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