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September 19, 2005  ADWEEK

Sedgwick Rd., Tower Records in Tune on $15 Mill. Account

By Randi Schmelzer

LOS ANGELES Interpublic Group's Sedgwick Rd. has won Tower Records' estimated $15 million advertising account, the agency said. The win follows a six-week agency review.

Conducted by Santa Monica, Calif., consultancy Select Resources International, the review's potential contenders initially included "a long list" of shops from around the country, said Jim Walker, president of Seattle-based Sedgwick Rd.

That list was soon whittled down to a handful of West Coast agencies, he said. Neither Sedgwick Rd., SRI nor Sacramento, Calif.-based Tower Records would reveal competing shop identities, but sources pointed to two review finalists: independents G&M Plumbing, Manhattan Beach, Calif., and WongDoody, Seattle. Both agencies declined comment.

Of the competitors, Tower executive vice president-chief marketing officer Lynn Ferguson said, "We went after agencies that had a blend of understanding of different media types … all three finalists did a fantastic job."

In addition to music, the 45-year-old chain's 89 U.S. retail locations offer a wide range of entertainment-enthusiast fodder, from DVDs and videos to books, magazines, video games and personal electronics. Merchandise is also distributed online and via a 1-800 telephone number. In August, Tower Records was named large-division 'Retailer of the Year' for the second consecutive year by the National Association of Recording Merchandisers (NARM).

Sedgwick Rd.'s Walker said his staff was thrilled to be involved with such a heritage entertainment brand. "There's a ton of potential," he said. "We're really energized."

Although Ferguson would not reveal specific campaign concepts, new brand positioning crafted by Sedgwick Rd. and the client's in-house creative team would attempt to communicate the Tower Records experience via emotional connections; the message is expected to "permeate though all marketing communications," Ferguson said, from TV to viral to strategic-planning efforts.

An integrated campaign is expected to break in time for the 2005 holiday season.

A current ad spend was not disclosed. The pop-culture accessories retailer spent $12 million on advertising in 2004, per TNS Media Intelligence; sources said its 2005-06 budget is expected to be at least $15 million.

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