Northwestern Mutual has appointed Horizon Next, the media agency's direct marketing division as media AOR following a formal review. Incumbent Spark Foundry did not defend.  Horizon Next will be tasked with overseeing strategic communications planning, media activation and advanced analytics across all media channels. While the financial company currently services 4.5 million people across life, disability income, and long-term care insurance, among others, it has struggled — like its rivals — with attracting Millennial clients. Later this year, the company will relaunch LearnVest, which it acquired in 2015, as a financial education website.  "The company already has an impressively robust ...

FCB's Kuala Lumpur office has been selected as Clorox's social media agency for both Malaysia and Singapore following a competitive review. This appointment expands FCB's business after CPG brand consolidated most of its portfolio with the network in 2016.  “In our search for an agency partner, FCB impressed us with its dual function as a strong regional hub, offering both local scale and global reach,” stated Paulo Lao, marketing director, South East Asia, Clorox.

New Orleans-based advertising agency Peter Mayer has been appointed AOR for Mississippi Gulf Coast Tourism following a formal review with three other agencies participating in the final round. There was no formal incumbent.   The remit includes strategy, creative, media planning and buying, as well as some digital marketing components.  The initial work will include a comprehensive rebranding and awareness campaign for the region that consists of 62 miles of shoreline and 12 coastal communities in three counties (Hancock, Harrison and Jackson).  While the area has previously promoted itself using the "Stay awhile. You'll get it" slogan, Peter Mayer says it ...

Thorne is appointing Droga5 New York its first marketing agency as the company, which offers at-home health tests and nutritional supplements, looks to grow its worldwide brand. The agency, added without a pitch, will be responsible for working on business design, developing a "full brand experience" and related marketing communications. The shop will also help to launch the company's first ad campaign. For now the agency declines to discuss strategy.  Thorne has raised its brand awareness via NASCAR. In May, Thorne and Leavine Family Racing (LFR) announced a partnership for Thorne to provide diagnostic testing and nutritional supplements for the ...

The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) the nation’s first African American athletic conference's is appointing Liquid Soul as AOR following a competitive review.  The organization's previous agency was Raleigh, NC-based D2.  The two-year assignment marks a new approach for the CIAA and includes strategic planning, advertising, digital marketing, social media, public relations, and partnership development for the organization across all platforms.  While the remit includes all branding initiatives, the agency will first focus on the CIAA’s Football Championship and Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournament, a week-long event drawing the third highest attendance among all NCAA divisions.  “We look forward to ...

Wizards of the Coast has appointed The Martin Agency AOR The appointment come as the publisher of Magic: The Gathering is expanding the collectible fantasy trading card game to new platforms.  After launching 25 years ago, the card game has remained popular with over 20 million current players and the publisher, a subsidiary of Hasbro, is now branching out to additional analog versions as well as the mobile and virtual space. "With renewed interest in sci-fi and fantasy genres franchises like the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Game of Thrones, Star Wars, and Harry Potter, the Magic: The Gathering brand is ...

Full-service creative agency School House has been appointed lead design agency for L’Occitane’s new flagship boutique store in Melbourne, Australia. Under the agreement, the New York-based agency will be responsible for creating an  "immersive shopping experience" at the store, which  is scheduled to open in October. "Our partnership together has been about sitting across from each other in order to understand and fully immerse ourselves with their business and provide ongoing support,” stated School House founder Chrstopher Skinner. “We look forward to implementing our unique approach to this project that allows us to mine for the brand’s rich heritage to ...

Mondelez has completed a global media review that started earlier this year, the company has confirmed. GroupM, already having a good week with word that it won the consolidated Mars global media review, has been added to the Mondelez roster with agencies Wavemaker and Mindshare having been assigned large portions of Europe and Asia. North America duties were awarded earlier to Spark Foundry and VaynerMedia. Responding to a request for comment, a Mondelez rep stated, “With our global review, we took a new look at our media buying to better equip our company for the future and address key changes such as ...

Blink Fitness is appointing AnalogFolk as its first “experience” AOR to improve digital innovation across the value fitness chain's entire business, including its digital products and in-gym experience. There was no incumbent during this formal review. However, this account replaces the traditional digital AOR partnership as the gym chain seeks to explore more comprehensive innovations, especially inside the clubs.  The account will be run out of the agency's New York office with first work debuting in January 2019. Last year, Blink and creative agency The Brooklyn Brothers introduced a campaign that featured real members who auditioned through Instagram.  Founded in ...

WPP has been awarded integrated marketing duties for Unilever’s Sunlight laundry soap brand across Africa following a competitive pitch process. Sunlight is the second largest fast moving consumer goods brand in Africa, after Coca-Cola, according to the holding company. WPP Team Unilever/Africa pitched a multi-discipline solution drawing on resources from  J. Walter Thompson, Ogilvy, The Hardy Boys and Scanad. Going forward, WPP Team Sunlight will provide access to talent across WPP companies, including Kantar, Barrows, Mindshare, TMARC, Smollan and other specialty units.