4 agency reviews to know about this month

Super Bowl season has well and truly arrived, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of brands seeking agency support unrelated to February’s Big Game. Here are four reviews to know about this month. Do you know about another pitch that’s not listed here? Send an email to aatips@adage.com. Stay up to date with ongoing pitches with our Agency Review Tracker, exclusive to All Access subscribers. To celebrate the launch of the 2024 Leading National Advertisers report, we’re offering a 50% discount on a Digital All Access subscription. This is a limited-time opportunity to upgrade your subscription at half the cost and gain access to our most sought-after resources, including LNA 2024 and the Agency Review Tracker. Agency Review Tracker Stay up to date with the latest account reviews Click here USAA USAA, which provides insurance and other financial services to U.S. military members, veterans and their families, is conducting a review for a new agency to oversee creative and content, social media and media, according to a spokesperson. A group of Publicis Groupe agencies, including Razorfish and Saatchi & Saatchi, is the incumbent on the account, the USAA spokesperson said, adding that the review is “part of our normal course of business.” Publicis declined to comment. USAA has been increasing its advertising spend. The company had U.S. measured-media spending of $116 million in the first two quarters of 2024, according to Vivvix, which includes paid social data from Pathmatics, compared to $101 million in the first half of 2023. It spent $214 million in U.S. measured media during all of 2023. New York-based agency 160over90 will continue to manage USAA’s public relations and brand sponsorships, the spokesperson said. Ad Age Leading National Advertisers 2024 U.S. ad spending, rankings, analysis and profiles for the biggest marketers Click here Tim Hortons Toronto-based coffee chain Tim Hortons is nearing the end of a review for its Canadian media business, which had been split between Horizon Media and Monks, Ad Age has learned. Monks, formerly Media.Monks, handled digital, while Horizon handled traditional. Horizon, which is believed to be pitching for the account, did not return requests for comment. Monks declined to comment. Several agencies are said to be in the hunt for the business, including WPP’s Mindshare and Omnicom Media Group’s PHD, which currently manages Tim Hortons’ U.S. media business. Publicis Media is also believed to be involved. PHD referred calls to comment to the company. Mindshare declined to comment. Publicis could not be immediately reached for comment. ID Comms, said to be handling the review, declined to comment. Tim Hortons’ total media spend in Canada is approximately $58 million, according to data from COMvergence. Gut Toronto is the creative agency of record for Tim Hortons. The company is not currently making any creative agency changes, according to multiple people familiar with the matter. United Parks & Resorts United Parks & Resorts is looking for a creative agency to create brand campaigns for its SeaWorld and Busch Gardens brands, according to multiple people familiar with the matter. The review is continuing despite former SeaWorld marketing chief Marisa Thalberg leaving earlier this month, one person said. United Parks & Resorts did not return several requests for comment. It wasn’t immediately clear which agencies worked on both brands’ creative. Innocean USA has recently worked with SeaWorld, but the agency told Ad Age that it’s not participating in the review. SeaWorld had U.S. measured-media spending of $19 million in the first two quarters of 2024, according to Vivvix, down slightly from the $21 million it spent in the first half of 2024. Busch Gardens, meanwhile, spent $5 million on U.S. measured media during the first two quarters of 2024, down from $7 million in the same period in 2023. Pacific Life Newport Beach, California-based Pacific Life Insurance is conducting a review for its creative and media businesses, according to several people close to the situation. Ark Advisors, which declined to comment, is said to be handling the pitch. Pacific Life declined to comment. It wasn’t immediately clear which shop previously held the media account. Innocean USA is the creative incumbent. The independent agency, which is believed to be defending, declined to comment. Pacific Life spent $5 million on U.S. measured media in the first two quarters of 2024, down from $10 million during the same period in 2023, according to Vivvix. The company had U.S. measured-media spending of $25 million during all of 2023. Contributing: Brian Bonilla Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs

4 agency reviews to know about this month

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