• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, October 26, 2012

Publicis Groupe’s Zenith has retained its Travelocity media assignment after a review, the companies have confirmed. The client spent about $55 million on ads in 2011, according to Kantar Media.

The company kicked off its media review in August. Zenith, which won the business in 2010, will continue to provide national and local strategy, as well as buying and planning for traditional media. It will expand the scope of its assignment to online video.

Bruce Horner, Travelocity Media & Alliances Lead, stated: “We are eager to collectively continue to find innovative ways to use media to showcase The Roaming Gnome and build the Travelocity brand.” The Roaming Gnome is the iconic character seen in Travelocity ads.

Dave Penski, CEO of Zenith, called the client a “a valued and dynamic brand.”

Two years ago, Zenith won the Travelocity media business while sibling agency Leo Burnett won the creative assignment. This summer, the online travel services company held a separate review for creative work and switched to McKinney, now a unit of South Korea-based agency holding company Cheil Worldwide.

McKinney, previously an independent shop, had handled creative chores for Travelocity prior to the shift to Burnett. McKinney created the client’s “Roaming Gnome” back in 2004.

advertisement

advertisement