Check-In: MEC Wins Marriott's Media Assignment

MarriottHotel chain Marriott has awarded WPP's MEC its global media planning and buying assignment following a consolidation review  that began in July, the client has confirmed.  

The company spends an estimated $120 million on ads worldwide and about $85 million in the U.S., per Kantar Media.

The other contenders for the business were Aegis Group’s Carat, and Starcom and ZenithOptimedia, both units of Publicis. The client confirmed that the contest was narrowed to two finalists: MEC and ZO.

The win is a welcome boost for MEC, which has struggled this year on the business development front. Two important clients have left, including Activision and Pizza Hut -- and two more are in review, including Novartis, where MEC is a finalist, and Toys R Us, which the shop is also defending.

advertisement

advertisement

The win is also the first for the agency since Marla Kaplowitz was named North American CEO two weeks ago. She replaced Lee Doyle, who had a four-year run in the job. He is expected to remain with the company in a position still being finalized. 

The client said MEC will handle media duties for all of the company’s brands worldwide, including Marriott Hotels and Resorts, The Ritz-Carlton and Marriott Rewards. The assignment takes effect next month.

Susan Thronson, Marriott’s senior vice president, global marketing, said the company’s decision came down to “our confidence in the quality of the team, insights on our brands and caliber of their global organization. We believe MEC is the best fit for us.” 

Lead creative agencies, mcgarrybowen and Team One, as well as paid-search marketing handled by Publicis, were not affected by the review, nor were the agreements with specialized agencies globally, Marriott said.

Commenting on the win in a statement, Charles Courtier, Global CEO of MEC, stated: “This pitch involved an exhaustive analysis of our network capability, our operating principles and the depth and breadth of our most valuable assets -- our people. . . we can't wait to get to work with our new client partners."

 Marriott’s search consultant on the pitch was New York-based Joanne Davis Consulting. 

Next story loading loading..