SYDNEY: Levi Strauss has sacked its Australian agency, Clemenger
BBDO, effective immediately after just 18 months, with the client
deciding to take its A$4 million (about US$2 million)
account to a smaller shop.
Clemenger BBDO won the account after a highly competitive pitch process
early last year, following Levi's relocation to Melbourne. Managing
director of Clemenger Melbourne, Mark Pearce, said: "I'm not sure why
they have done it. We had a good relationship and produced some really
good work."
Pearce said Levi's managing director, Peter Murphy, indicated he would
be taking the account to a boutique agency. "He told me that was the way
they wanted to go. If that's the decision they've made, there's little
we can do about it," said Pearce.
"They have a new marketing team in there now - they aren't the ones that
appointed us."
Pearce said he was not losing any sleep as Levi's "wasn't one of our top
10 accounts".
Levi's was tight-lipped as to the future of the account and would not
comment on a new agency appointment.
One of Clemenger's more famous Levi's television campaigns, which
depicted a homeless man wearing its jeans, was seen as a move back to
the icon television branding achieved by Levi's in the '80s and '90s.
