• by Richard Whitman , Columnist, July 28, 2020

CRM giant Salesforce has appointed Initiative, part of Interpublic’s Mediabrands, as its new media agency effective August 1.

The company spent an estimated $45 million on measured media last year, according to Kantar.

The incumbent was Oakland, CA-based independent media agency Mediasmith, which has handled the business since 2013.

For Initiative, the win is the latest in a recent series of new business victories. Earlier this month, it won the consolidated media account for pharma company Gilead Sciences. Another recent win is the QSR chain El Pollo Loco.  

Salesforce confirmed the shift, but declined to elaborate. An Initiative PR rep did not respond to queries.

John Cate, CEO, Mediasmith, stated: “We’ve been proud of our relationship with Salesforce and of the work we’ve done together for the past seven years.  We’ve accomplished a lot together, and we wish them nothing but the best as they evolve their agency needs.”