 Ray Day |
IBM has picked Weber Shandwick as global lead agency for the estimated $15M account following a competitive pitch that kicked off earlier this year with the arrival of chief communications officer Ray Day from Ford Motor.
Ketchum and Text100 had the IBM business since 2001 following a review of 50 firms. Text100 opted to bow out of Day's review, while Ketchum participated.
Weber Shandwick will lead a "blended team" of agency talent and IBM staffers overseeing the newsroom, content, events, analytics and stakeholder relations.
A trio of shops will support the Interpublic Group unit.
SKDKnickerbocker, which is owned by Mark Penn's Stagwell Group, will work on US strategy and narrative; Spectrum Science will focus on Watson Health and thought leadership, and Ryan Seacrest's Civic Entertainment Group will deal with influencer and citizen initiatives.
Eighteen firms responded to IBM's RFP. Nine made presentations to be part of Day's effort to create a "fresh start" for Big Blue
IBM's long-time PR chief Jon Iwata retired last year after a 34-year run.
FleishmanHillard is named strategic communications consultancy for the Bay Area Host Committee... Kite Hill is named PR partner for the Artist and the Machine summit, which till take place Nov. 19 in Los Angeles... Alliance Connection, a Detroit-based agency that specializes in all-inclusive resorts, travel and hospitality, wins Elite Island Resorts with properties in Antigua, Barbados and Panama.
Merlot Marketing is named agency of record for Nichiha USA, a manufacturer of building material solutions... Sally Beauty, the consumer retail division of parent company Sally Beauty Holdings, appoints Creative Media Marketing as its public relations agency of record... Doner comes on board as agency of record for Rush Street Gaming, which operates Rivers Casino locations in Pittsburgh; Philadelphia; Des Plaines, IL; Portsmouth, VA; and Schenectady, NY.
JPR Group picks up Kimmel Architecture (formerly Kimmel-Bogrette Architecture + Site) to establish a presence in the senior living marketplace... RG2 Communications, adds Pollini at Ladbroke Hall, an Italian restaurant that is part of the 43,000 sq.-ft. Edwardian landmark, which presents live music, contemporary art, dance and gastronomy... M&C Communications assumes PR duties for Hope for Stomach Cancer nonprofit group.
Konnect Agency connects with Crescent Hotels & Resorts... FleishmanHillard specialty agency Methods+Mastery’s "Team BDG” comes on board as agency of record for Blue Diamond Growers... The Lacek Group, a loyalty, CRM and brand marketing agency that is part of Ogilvy One, picks up FNBO financial services outfit.
Rubenstein Public Relations works to burnish the legacy of Manhattan’s Riverside Memorial Chapel as a 
