• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, February 3, 2004

Despite a large, high profile media services account shift - Sara Lee's $200 million consolidation at Starcom - media account turnover continued to ebb coming into the first month of 2004. Only $390 million in aggregate billings changed agencies during the month, down from $499 million in January 2003, and from $2 billion in January 2000, according to estimates released Monday by media auditing firm Media Analysis Plus.

While January represents a continuing stabilization of media account turnover - which had been extremely volatile in 2002, but softened in 2003 - February is getting off to a big start. Mars' Masterfoods unit Monday consolidated its $300 million media services account at MediaVest, a unit of Starcom MediaVest Group, following one of the most hotly contested media account pitches of the past year. Carat, MediaCom, Mediaedge:cia and OMD were incumbent media shops.

Despite two high profile media account shifts early in the year, Jim Surmanek, president-CEO of MAP, described 2004 as a "tepid start."

"January's number would have been a whole lot smaller had it not been for the $200 million Sara Lee account that switched agencies just last week," he noted.

January Media Account Shifts

Advertiser            Loser             Winner          Billings 
AOL                   Doner Direct      Digitas
$60 mil 
Caress*               BBDO              JWT              $25 mil 
Circuit City**        New               Bromley          $15 mil 
Florida SUV Safety    New               Bartle
Bogle     $30 mil 
Sara Lee              Assorted          Starcom         $200 mil 
Skittle (Mars)        BBDO              TBWA/Chiat/Day   $25 mil 
Tostitos (Frito-Lay)  BBDO
GSD&M            $25 mil  
Wawa Stores           Mayo Seitz        Richards Group   $10 mil 

Total January 2004                                      $390 mil 
Total January 2003
$499 mil 
Total January 2002                                    $2,000 mil  

Source: January 2004 MAP Barometer, Media Analysis Plus. *Unilever. **Hispanic media only.