Utah's Washington Country Tourism is appointing Cactus as the travel destination's new agency of record.  Washington County Tourism’s account is valued at $1.75 million annually and previous advertising was done in house. Cactus, which partnered with Colorado-based Malen Yantis Public Relations for the pitch late last year, will develop and execute a one-year year marketing plan including all media, digital, strategy, creative and production for the client. The first quarter of 2019 will be dedicated to brand development and marketing planning with new creative expected to launch in Q2. The region is home to Zion National Park, the city of …

Okaloosa County Tourism Development Council is appointing BooneOakley as agency of record to increase visitors, especially during prime September-to-May season, in Destin, Fort Walton Beach and Okaloosa Island, FL. Fourteen other agencies competed in the review, including FuseIdeas, The Akins Group and BVK; the incumbent, Aqua Marketing &Communications, St. Petersburg, Fla., did not defend. The North Carolina-based agency partnered with media specialists Brand Cottage, New York, and public relations specialists Hawkins International, New York, both of which are subcontracted to BooneOakley for the three-year contract.  The $5 million annual budget will go to TV, radio, digital and social advertising, plus …

The Nature's Bounty Co. is appointing VMLY&R as agency of record for both the Nature's Bounty and Sundown Naturals brands.  The WPP agency will partner with the company's in-house team to develop and execute comprehensive communications strategies for both brands in the U.S.  Nature’s Bounty ranks among the top vitamin brands in the world, while Sundown Naturals offers a full line of nutritional vitamins and supplements that are 100% non-GMO, and 100% free of gluten, wheat, and dairy.  

London’s Heathrow airport is appointing GroupM’s Wavemaker as its integrated agency partner to oversee communications planning and media buying. The agency landed the three-year contact after a formal review.  Wavemaker will be responsible for planning the client’s communications mix across all media, including search and SEO, as well as “using audience data to create seamless brand experiences across the passenger journey.” The airport processed over 78 million passengers through its terminals in 2017, with 80 airlines flying to 180 destinations. 

Wanda Sports Holdings has appointed Zehnder Communications as agency of record for both the Ironman and Rock N Roll Marathon series of athletic competitions.  The agency’s remit includes advertising, digital media and research and analytics activities for each entity.  For more than 40 years, Ironman, and its related Ironman 70.3 triathlons, has become well-known as the ultimate endurance brand, while the 21 year old Rock N Roll Marathon Series covers 22 major U.S. cities and eight international races from the United Kingdom to China, creating the largest running series in the world. This event combines running with a party-like atmosphere …

OTT video programmer Cheddar has selected MightyHive as its partner for programmatic advertising services. MightyHive is tasked with extending the reach and impact of programmatic campaigns for the client. Cheddar will also partner with MightyHive to implement and leverage Google Analytics 360 for full end-to-end performance tracking across web, mobile, and connected TV.  “Several of our clients asked us to extend the campaigns we were doing for them across the web. We saw an opportunity, need, and in MightyHive, a solution to do and measure this,” stated Jon Steinberg, Cheddar’s founder and CEO.

PetSmart is appointing Empower as the pet chain's new media agency of record following a formal review. Incumbent OMD held the account since 2014.  Led out of Empower’s Cincinnati headquarters, the agency will oversee all traditional media planning and buying responsibilities in the U.S.  Their key challenge will be chasing pet parents in an ever-evolving video landscape, says an agency representative.  Pile and Company lead the agency search.