Sears, Roebuck and Co. to Consolidate Advertising Agency Relationship With Young & Rubicam
Sears, Roebuck and Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of Sears Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ: SHLD), today announced that it would consolidate all advertising for the retailer and its brands under one agency -- Young & Rubicam, a member of the WPP Group. The new arrangement becomes effective October 1 and is designed to deliver a more focused and consistent brand message to customers.
The announcement follows agency presentations, during which Sears, Roebuck asked its two principal agencies, Y&R and Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide (also a WPP company), for proposals to integrate the account and reinvent the collaborative process to enhance value and improve speed to market.
"The single-mindedness with which we are pursuing our goal of restoring Sears to preeminence requires a similar focus in our agency partnerships," said Luis Padilla, president of merchandising and marketing for Sears Retail. "Both firms presented persuasive proposals, but we are in constant pursuit of new approaches to better connect with and profitably serve customers as one company with extensive capabilities."
Under a service agreement between Sears and Y&R, the marketing communications agency will have advertising responsibility for the Kenmore, Craftsman and DieHard brands, as well as non-product Sears, Roebuck and Co. advertising. This includes broadcast creative and production, motor sports, multicultural marketing, customer relationship management and thought leadership. The agreement does not cover media planning or buying.
About Sears, Roebuck and Co.
Sears, Roebuck and Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of Sears Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ: SHLD), is a leading broadline retailer providing merchandise and related services. Sears, Roebuck offers its wide range of home merchandise, apparel and automotive products and services through more than 2,400 Sears-branded and affiliated stores in the United States and Canada, which includes approximately 870 full-line and 1,100 specialty stores in the U.S. Sears, Roebuck also offers a variety of merchandise and services through sears.com, landsend.com, and specialty catalogs. Sears, Roebuck offers consumers leading proprietary brands including Kenmore, Craftsman, DieHard and Lands' End -- among the most trusted and preferred brands in the U.S. The company is the nation's largest provider of home services, with more than 14 million service calls made annually. For more information, visit the Sears, Roebuck website at http://www.sears.com/ or the Sears Holdings Corporation website at http://www.searsholdings.com/ .
About Young & Rubicam
Young & Rubicam is a world leader in commercial communications, a network of preeminent companies in advertising, perception management and public relations, brand identity and design consultancy, database marketing and customer relationship management. Headquartered in New York, Young & Rubicam ranks among the world's leading consolidated marketing communications companies, and is a member of the WPP Group.
About WPP Group
WPP is one of the world's largest communications services groups, made up of leading companies in advertising; media investment management; information, insight & consultancy; public relations & public affairs; branding & identity, healthcare and specialist communications. Through its companies and associates, WPP offers a comprehensive and integrated range of communications services to national, multinational and global clients. The Group has 84,000 people (including associates) working in over 2,000 offices in 106 countries. As a parent, WPP complements the professional activities of its individual operating companies through initiatives and programs that provide greater value to its clients.
SOURCE: Sears, Roebuck and Co.
CONTACT: News Media Contact, Sears Holdings Public Relations,
+1-847-286-8371
Web site: http://www.sears.com/
http://www.searsholdings.com/