Floor cleaning brand Bissell Homecare has picked McCann Worldgroup as its creative agency of record following a review first reported in August. The prior agency was ICF Next, which defended the account after holding it since 2014. McCann's Interpublic Group of Cos. sibling FCB was also a contender in the Bissell pitch, which was conducted by Select Resources International.

McCann’s Detroit office MRM Detroit will handle the business moving forward. As part of the review, the vaccum maker also chose Current Global’s Chicago office to handle PR, which was also previously handled by ICF Next.

"As we continue to focus on international growth, these agency partners’ vast network of global resources and forward-thinking approaches made them a great match for Bissell," Theresa Junkunc, director of marketing communications at Bissell said. “We look forward to working together to kick off the development and execution of a global brand strategy in the new year.  We have so much respect for the ICF Next team and are incredibly thankful for our partnership. Our work together over the past seven years has contributed to our growth to become the share leader in floorcare in the U.S.”

“We are proud to have supported Bissell in its ascent to the No. 1 U.S. market-share position, and we wish it continued success," a spokesman for ICF Next added.

According to multiple people close to the situation, 140-year-old Bissell was looking for a new agency to help develop a more global approach moving forward. In the U.S., the company spent $25 million on U.S media in 2019 and $26 million in 2020, according to Kantar. Last year’s numbers are comparable to one of Bissell’s main competitors, Dyson, which spent $28 million on media in 2020. That represents a significant drop from 2019, when the British vacuum company spent $42 million on media, according to Kantar.

“We are thrilled and honored to be awarded strategic and creative responsibilities for Bissell Homecare,'' James Ward, president, McCann Detroit said in a statement. “We look forward to working with them to help build their iconic global brand and connect with their customers in new and exciting ways.”

This Black Friday the Bissell brand made a push in the competitive category by offering a myriad of retail and online deals.

The day after Thanksgiving, however, ended up a mixed bag for shopping. In-store shopper traffic increased by 47.5% compared to last year but was still down 28.3% from the 2019 season, according to data from Sensormatic Solutions, a division of global retail solutions portfolio Johnson Controls. Retailers totaled $8.9 billion in sales online which is a slight decline from the $9 billion spent last year, according to data by marketing analytics company Adobe Analytics.

Bissell, which is best known for its vacuum cleaners, also offers a number of other products such as pet-related cleaning products that range from pet grooming to maintaining a home with a pet. This week the company’s pet foundation also announced a nationwide initiative this month to lower adoption fees at dogs and cat shelters.