• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, November 3, 2011

After a 13-month process, ExxonMobil has consolidated media and advertising duties with shops at Interpublic and Omnicom, respectively, the client has confirmed.

ExxonMobil awarded Interpublic Group's Universal McCann media duties on its $300 million-plus global assignment. The bad news for IPG -- creative incumbent McCann Erickson lost its bid to retain its account with the client that spans nearly a century.

Omnicom's BBDO was awarded creative duties on the assignment, while sister shop DDB retained its below-the-line assignment for ExxonMobil's fuels division.

Responding to a call via email, a company spokeswoman confirmed the completion of the review and confirmed the selections of both UM and BBDO for consolidated media and creative duties, respectively, on the account.

"The agencies will provide consolidated services for ExxonMobil’s corporate, Fuels Marketing, Lubricants & Specialties and Chemical Company advertising activities,” the spokeswoman wrote. “We are looking forward to working with the selected agencies to share information about ExxonMobil’s quality fuels, lubricants and chemicals products, and our role in supplying the energy needed to support economic growth and progress around the world."

Sources said the transition would take at least a couple of months and that the new assignments would likely take effect sometime shortly after the New Year.

Incumbents on the media side included Omnicom’s OMD and Havas’ MPG. Up to now, MPG had handled the client’s corporate image assignment, UM had handled its lubricants/chemicals division and OMD had managed the fuels operation.

On the creative side, Havas' Euro RSCG had handled corporate image ads, while DDB had responsibility for fuel advertising chores. And McCann Erickson was responsible for chemicals and lubricants advertising.

In a statement, McCann Worldgroup chairman and CEO Nick Brien accentuated the positive, noting that “McCann Worldgroup remains a significant partner to ExxonMobil through [digital shop] MRM, [sponsorship and events unit] Momentum and UM. We are proud of the enormous contributions McCann has made to this client and have great respect for the company and the people with whom we have been privileged to work.”

Part of the reason for the length of the review was internal politics at the client. Some of the ExxonMobil units involved did not want to change agencies, despite the mandate from the parent company to do so.

The creative and media assignments represent an estimated $50 million in revenue, according to sources.

New York-based Joanne Davis Consulting was the search consultant for the review.