In a surprise victory, Minneapolis-based Fallon Worldwide on Friday won the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism account, with estimated annual billings of $15 million, after being eliminated from the review last month.
Meanwhile, on the mainland, the agency's Fallon Intersect division was named agency of record for the Mall of America after a finals showdown against BBDO Minneapolis.
Both new Fallon clients are keenly interested in attracting tourists.
The Bahamas conventional broadcast, print and brand identity advertising will be led by Fallon's New York City office. The pitch for the account was led by Duffy Worldwide, a branding and graphic design division of Fallon.
Fallon's Bahamas account win came as a surprise because the agency was not a finalist for the account. Another Minneapolis agency, Martin/Williams Advertising, and Mullen of Wenham, Mass., were listed as finalists in December, when a delegation of Bahamians visited the offices of Martin/Williams (M/W).
But M/W did not know about a visit by a small contingent of Bahamians to Fallon Worldwide's offices the week of Jan. 6.
Joe Duffy, chairman of Duffy Worldwide, said the Bahamas victory is "an exciting and gratifying win for Fallon and Duffy on many levels. It's an opportunity to work on a strong brand with smart clients. Our approach showcased what a real creative company can do."
Duffy cited brand identity, Web site development, information architecture and connection planning in addition to more conventional TV, print, outdoor and Internet advertising that were part of the agency's marketing proposal.
Besides its reputation as an edgy creative agency, other factors in the victory were Fallon's New York City presence on the heavily populated Atlantic coast, where many of the tourists headed to the Bahamas live, and travel-segment experience creating a advertising for United Airlines.
The first Fallon-created advertising for the Bahamas is expected to be launched within the next few months.
Bloomington's Mall of America hired Fallon to field new creative concepts and enhance the so-called brand of the 520-store mall, which has been open for 10 years. The mall's attraction include theme parks Camp Snoopy and Cereal Adventure in addition to a 14-screen cinema multiplex and 1.2 million-gallon walk-through aquarium called Underwater Adventures.
Although Fallon Intersect has worked with many Fallon clients, including Archipelago, Citibank, Timberland and United Airlines, the Mall of America is the division's first independent account victory.
Kevin Berigan, a 20-year Fallon veteran and co-managing partner of Fallon Intersect with Pat Milan, characterized the Mall of America account as a "tremendous opportunity" to combine promotional, event marketing and advertising for the mall.
Billings have not been disclosed. The account had been handled by Minneapolis agency North Woods Advertising. Since its opening, the Mall of America has attracted more than 390 million visitors.
Good Humor
Good Humor-Breyers Ice Cream of Green Bay, Wis., has appointed Minneapolis agency Campbell Mithun as its North American advertising agency.
With an estimated $20 million in annual ad spending, the Good Humor assignment covers the Breyers, Klondike, Popsicle and Good Humor brands of ice cream and frozen novelties.
The actual work on the Good Humor-Breyers account will be handled through Campbell Mithun's KidCom business unit. The Chicago office of New York City-based Ogilvy & Mather previously handled the Good Humor-Breyers business.
KidCom specializes in advertising to children, which represent a large portion of demand for Good Humor and Breyers products. The account victory originated with discussions about advertising Popsicle brand frozen novelties with Good Humor executives, and expanded to the company's entire product line.
By Bob Geiger, Star Tribune
