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.

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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.

In the lawsuit, Brunckhorst III claimed that Eric Bischoff, the grandson of Bruno Bischoff (Frank Brunckhorst’s brother-in-law) claims that Barbara’s portion of the company belongs to him. “Eric, apparently motivated by breathtaking greed, asserts and threatens to pursue claims that Frank is not entitled to acquire the Barbara Brunckhorst Shares,” the suit reads in part. “Eric appeared prepared to line his own pockets at the expense of the charities that were so important to Barbara to support.”

Boar’s Head did not respond to Ad Age’s request for comment on the current state of the lawsuit.

Departures and additions

It’s unclear how long Hill Holiday had been working with the cold cuts company. In 2019, the agency launched the company’s “Counter Culture” campaign.

Hill Holiday, which refreshed its logo earlier this year, has seen some creative churn of late. In January 2021 Lance Jensen stepped down from his chief creative officer role which he held for 10 years. He was succeeded by Icaro Doria, who will be departing from the agency in July after being in the position for over a year. In May, Khari Streeter was named chief creative officer for Burrell Communications after spending nearly 10 years at Hill Holiday as VP, creative director.

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Despite the changes in creative leadership the Boston-based agency picked up seven new healthcare clients since the end of 2021 and recently won business with brands like Valvoline, BMW Motorrad, and Frontier Communications. The agency also brought on 41 new hires according to an April Ad Age article, including Avin Narasimhan, who joined as chief strategy officer in February.