• Ad Age, Tuesday, May 9, 2006 12:30 PM

It looks as though retail giant Wal-Mart is intent on changing everything about the way it markets itself. Only a week after announcing it would put its $578 million advertising account into review, word now comes that the multicultural portion of the business is also up for grabs. The largest piece of the multicultural business is the $55 million Hispanic account, which has been handled for the past 11 years by Lopez Negrete Communications of Houston, and the agency is prepared to defend the account, said President-CEO Alex Lopez Negrete. Wal-Mart's other multicultural agencies are independent E. Morris Communications, Chicago, which has handled the $30 million African-American account for 13 years, and Asian-American agency IW Group, Los Angeles. Gene Morris, president-CEO of E. Morris Communications, also said his agency will defend the business. The Wal-Mart account has been the subject of intense speculation since CMO John Fleming joined from Target Corp. and made it his mission to expand the giant retailer's marketing staff and shake up its playbook. Last week Wal-Mart notified longtime incumbents GSD&M of Austin, Texas, and independent Bernstein-Rein, Kansas City, Mo., that the account would go into review. A decision is expected this fall. No consultant has been announced yet.

Read the whole story at Ad Age »