AutoZone is in creative review after a decade with Havas Chicago

AutoZone is in the midst of a creative review, Ad Age has learned. BarkleyOKRP, The Community, EP+Co and Nashville-based agency Bohan are believed to be pitching the automotive parts and accessories retailer. Agency Review Tracker Stay up to date with the latest account reviews Click here AutoZone has worked with Havas Chicago on creative since 2014. Other entities under Havas’ banner, such as Annex88, have collaborated on some of the retailer’s campaigns, including a couple of spots created last year. Many of AutoZone’s ads are straightforward and focus on its customer service. Havas has created notable work for the brand over the years, such as its 2016 “Turkey Run” campaign, which showed a human-like turkey talking about prepping for Thanksgiving by making sure his car doesn’t stop working during the holiday, thanks to AutoZone. It’s unclear if the retailer wants to move away from its “Get in the zone, AutoZone” tagline. One source said the tagline wasn’t off limits in the brief. Havas referred inquiries to the client, which wasn’t immediately available for comment. EP+Co and BarkleyOKRP declined to comment; The Community and Bohan weren’t immediately available for comment. Jeffries Consulting, led by consultant Daniel Jeffries, is believed to be conducting the review, according to multiple sources. Jeffries declined to comment. Final pitches are expected at the end of July, according to multiple people close to the situation. AutoZone spent $161.9 million on worldwide advertising in fiscal year 2023, which ended last August. This was paid for in part by $62.4 million in vendor promotional funds. (Ad expense, after factoring out vendor promotional funds, was $99.5 million.) AutoZone’s net sales rose 7.4% to $17.46 billion in fiscal 2023. It has 7,140 stores, 6,300 of which are in the U.S. AutoZone is one of the largest auto parts retailers in the country. The U.S. accounted for 89% of AutoZone’s worldwide sales in fiscal 2023, with Mexico accounting for most of its international sales. Agency Review Tracker Stay up to date with the latest account reviews Click here

AutoZone is in creative review after a decade with Havas Chicago

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