Case Study for Agency
03-1014871-079

Client: Chico's

Relationship History: When we began working with them at
the end of 1999, their marketing budget was a mere 100K
to support 140 locations and 153M in sales. We carefully
stretched each dollar – first in remnant print, then national, then
spot TV, then network TV – to the point that now Chico’s has a
total 50M budget (50% of which is in media), 700 stores, and
counting, and 1.2B in sales.

Execution: We currently run schedules nationally on television
and in over 50 magazines. The success of this brand lies in the
enormous bond we’ve established between our client and their
customer base as well as our analysis of their sales and growth
needs. Our work has not gone unnoticed – Forbes has listed
Chico’s two years in a row as one of the top ten fastest
growing small companies in America.

Client: Swatch Group US
Relationship History: We are currently the agency of
record for Swatch, Omega, Rado, Tissot, Longines, Hamilton,
Blancpain, and Glashutte. We handle all media negotiations
and placement and have taken over all PR events as well.
Our initial successes with Omega in 1997 gradually allowed
us to acquire the responsibilities for the other brands.
Execution: Our biggest claim to fame is our rebirth of the
Omega brand where we brought the national sales of the
brand from 24M to 90M in only four years. This was
achieved through astute media planning and negotiations
to develop a high frequency program with strictly limited
creative rotation, i.e. running solely Constellation creative
in the Spring and Seamaster in the fall.

In addition to planning and placing all media so that it
supports our retailers on a national level, we develop and
execute local programs. We also handle all coop needs, sales
incentive programs and specialized brochures for specific
sales support.

Client: Rockstar Videogames/Take Two Interactive
Relationship History: When we first started with this account
over five years ago, their marketing budget was only 250K
and, in the craze of the dot-com-era, all other advertising
agencies had dismissed them as insignifi cant and too
troublesome. Their loss. With the launch of major titles for the
Playstation, X-Box and PC platforms such as Grand Theft Auto,
Max Payne (I & II), Midnight Club (I & II), GTA: Vice City and
GTA: San Andreas, their budgets have soared.

Execution: We do a tremendous amount of varied network
buying in spot, syndication, network and cable television as
well as network radio and national magazines. Our area of
most recent growth for Rockstar and our other clients has been
in the outdoor arena where we’ve been able to exploit the
loopholes in this medium for a significant cost savings.

Client: L-3 Communications
Account Profile: With approximately 13,000 employees and over 1
billion in sales, L-3 Communications (NYSE:LLL) is a leading merchant
supplier to aerospace, military, and commercial primes. The company
offers secure communications systems and specialized products and
services. Individual L-3 divisions have a track record of
proven performance. Together they offer a synergistic combination of
capabilities and a tradition of excellence.

Challenge: Our relationship with L-3 began in March of 1998 as they
were about to go public. They needed a cover for their prospectus, a
graphic attention-getter that communicated the high-tech nature of
their complicated business in simple terms...in just a few short weeks.
Following their dramatic fi nancial success and multiple acquisitions,
it became imperative to craft an umbrella corporate image that would
conceptually unify the marketing efforts of each division into a global
brand. How do you unify 17 major subdivisions, each with their own
product lines and areas of expertise?

Solution: Since it was difficult to introduce an entirely new image
across all divisions, we started small. We developed logo and
positioning standards for all divisional ads of the corporate logo and
introduced a corporate campaign highlighting recent major acquisitions.
The ads conformed to the same color scheme as the annual report to
provide a sense of continuity. Next we developed smaller umbrella
campaigns for major division groups. The first series of ads were for
the space divisions, incorporating all satellite communications units.
Our current campaign covers divisions currently of use in the Iraqi
war.

Result: L-3 continues to grow and is one of the most stable and
progressive companies in its sector. Despite minimal traditional
advertising expenditures, recognition of the company and its
capabilities is extraordinarily high.