• Adweek, Tuesday, April 25, 2006 12:16 PM

Ad agencies have always said they want to be considered a "partner" to their clients, and now one marketer is taking that idea to a new level. Dallas-based Haggar Clothing says it has formed a "strategic and creative" partnership with its ad agency, Crispin Porter + Bogusky, that includes giving the Miami-based hotshop an undisclosed, minority stake in the haberdasher. "We plan on returning the Haggar brand to a leadership position ... by developing it as a vibrant lifestyle brand which offers a complete collection for head-to-toe dressing," said Haggar's chief marketing officer, Stephen Croncota. "Given our ambitions, it made sense to explore a nontraditional approach to brand-building, by leveraging CP+B's substantial creative talent across our organization." A private equity investment group acquired Haggar last November for more than $210 million. At that time, most of its senior management team, including CEO J.M. Haggar IV, departed. Jim Lewis, the company's current CEO, cited CP+B's recent work for Burger King and Volkswagen as factors in the agency's hire.

Read the whole story at Adweek »