• by Richard Whitman , Columnist, December 7, 2014

It's never a great time when a client decides to pull its business from an agency. Unless, it seems, that client is Cadillac and the agency is Lowe Campbell Ewald. The agency, of course, just lost the Cadillac account to Publicis Worldwide. While that's a sizable $279 million loss for Lowe Campbell Ewald, some in the industry think Lowe will be better off.

Of the account shift, Skidmore Studio CEO Tim Smith said: "Lowe Campbell Ewald is an iconic and creatively strong shop that will be better off without the drama that GM continues to create. They are better off, in my opinion, without the schizophrenic behavior of a bad client." Wow, schizophrenic behavior? No love lost there, apparently. 

Toby Barlow, CCO of Team Detroit, which handles Ford, added: "Campbell Ewald has some amazing talent, people I would love to work with. I'm absolutely shocked that GM decided to move on." The Cadillac loss follows Chevrolet exiting the agency in 2011 after 91 years. The agency is now half the size of its 1,200-person heyday.