Savings Bank of Danbury has recently retained Donaldson Makoski Inc as its marketing and advertising agency of record. The firm will handle the bank's brand image, print and electronic advertising, and marketing communications. Billings were not disclosed.

Merisant awarded its $15 million Equal sweetener account to MDC’s kirshenbaum bond + partners, New York. The assignment includes strategic and creative development for the Equal brand. Additionally, Media Kitchen will oversee all media duties, including planning and buying.

ja&g Ohio will serve as agency of record for AAA Hartford/Cincinnati/ and Kansas, provide media management for Provident Bank, and spearhead creative development and execution for the 2004 Regional Ozone Coalition summer campaign. Billings were not disclosed.

Electronic Arts re-signed See Advertising of San Francisco to serve as EA's primary agency. EA also assigned advertising support for two franchises -- Need for Speed and Tiger Woods PGA TOUR -- to Wieden+Kennedy of Portland, OR. Terms of the agreements were not disclosed.

Arnold Worldwide, New York, has been awarded creative duties on Bob's Stores' estimated $6 million account. The agency beat out Hill, Holliday, Connors, Cosmopulos, Boston; North Castle Partners; and Tucker Hampel Stefanides & Partners, New York, for the win.

MPG Arnold has been named U.S. media agency for Magner's Irish Cider, a popular Irish cider. Magner's Irish Cider has been available in the United States since 1999, but the company plans to be more aggressive in its marketing efforts this year. Ireland’s Young Advertising, part of Euro RSCG remains the creative agency for the account. Billings were not disclosed.

Petsmart has narrowed its search for a creative agency down to six. They are: DDB, San Francisco; J. Walter Thompson, Chicago; Publicis & Hal Riney, San Francisco, Leo Burnett, Chicago; Publicis, Dallas; and davidandgoliath, Los Angeles.

DGWB’S Hispanic division, Adelante, has been named agency of record for all KFC Hispanic advertising. A new series of KFC Hispanic commercials will launch this week on Telemundo and Univision.

The competition is down to two agencies for Verizon Wireless' estimated $400 million account. Arnold Worldwide, Boston, and McCann-Erickson, New York remain in the running.

The American Association of Advertising Agencies has named Stephen Gordet Associates Advertising as its agency of record for the AAAA National Yellow Pages Trademark Program. Spending was not disclosed.