Deli giant Boar’s Head has named DiGo (DiMassimo Goldstein) as its creative agency of record following a competitive pitch led by Select Resources International, Ad Age has learned. Other agencies believed to have participated in the pitch include Fig, BBH USA, and Saatchi & Saatchi, according to multiple people close to the situation.
Hill Holiday, which previously held the account, did not defend, according to people close to the situation. DiGo and Hill Holiday weren’t immediately available for comment.
“We are happy to confirm that DiGo is our new creative AOR, and we are thrilled to be working with such an extraordinarily talented team,” a spokeswoman for the family-owned company said. Boar's Head did not respond to Ad Age’s question as to whether Hill Holiday was invited to defend the account.
DiGo, which picked up 11 new clients during the pandemic, lists among its clients BetterHelp, PenFed Credit Union, and SodaStream.
Boar’s Head owner Frank Brunckhorst Co. spent $36.1 million on U.S. measured media in 2021, down from $40.3 million in 2020, a 10.4% decrease, according to Kantar.
Family division
The deli meats and cheeses company has been family-owned since its 1905 founding. However, the death of Barbara Brunckhorst—daughter of Boar’s Head founder Frank Brunckhorst—seems to have sparked some division between the Brunckhorst and Bischoff families that share ownership of the company.
In May of last year, Frank Brunckhorst III, grandson of the Boar’s Head founder and the nephew of Barbara Brunckhorst, filed a lawsuit in which he stated his aunt’s dying wish was that a “substantial portion” of her share of the company go to environmental charities and neuroscience research, according to court documents.