• by Larissa Faw , April 9, 2014

Apparel company Timberland has tapped MDC Partners’ Assembly to handle media duties after a review, the companies confirmed Wednesday. 

The company spent a little over $8 million on ads in 2013, according to Kantar. 

Assembly is the new agency that was formed by the merger of MDC’s TargetCast and RJ Palmer earlier this year. It is part of MDC’s media management unit MDC Media Partners. 

Mediahub, the media operation within Interpublic Group’s Mullen, was the incumbent but did not participate in the review. An agency rep said the shop “amicably” resigned the account in February. 

Timberland was acquired by VF Corp. in 2011 for approximately $2 billion. 

Assembly will support media planning and buying, as well as overall brand direction for Timberland. 

“The partnership between Timberland and Assembly is an organic fit, given our mutual vision of creative media, innovative partnerships and proprietary technology tools to connect consumers with the Timberland brand,” said Jim Davey, vice president of global marketing at Timberland. "We're confident Assembly can help us take the Timberland brand to the next level as we continue to engage a new generation of consumers."

Now, Assembly is tasked with continuing Timberland's brand reposition that began last fall.

The “Best Then. Better Now" campaign highlights the brand’s heritage and a more modern lifestyle appeal. Indeed, the campaign strongly defines the brand's modern rugged refined aesthetic, while positioning Timberland as an outdoor lifestyle marquee for footwear, apparel and accessories, say company executives.

Timberland works with various creative shops on a project basis but does the bulk of the creative work in-house. Creative was not part of the review.

This story has been updated to include specific ad spending data from Kantar and input from the client.