Young & Rubicam Brands in Irvine, Orange County’s largest advertising shop, has won its first account under new boss Rick Eiserman: the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Y & R;’s first TV commercial for the team is set to air March 15, according to trade publication Adweek.
The Dodgers are high profile but aren’t big spenders. The baseball team spent about $5 million on advertising last year, according to Adweek.
Y & R; won the work after a review late last year. It beat out Interpublic Group of Cos.’ Dailey & Associates in Los Angeles, which had held the account since 2004.
Part of Britain’s WPP Group PLC, Y & R; has struggled in the past few years with account losses.
Last year, Sony Electronics Inc. and Ford Motor Co.’s Jaguar Cars took their advertising business elsewhere. The Irvine office lost $200 million in combined yearly billings with the departures.
The shop’s biggest win of late is Beverly Hills-based Hilton Hotels Corp. The work has helped but didn’t offset the recent losses.
The Hilton account is worth an estimated $40 million to $50 million.
Y & R;’s Irvine office has estimated yearly billings of about $325 million.
Eiserman joined the Irvine office in late January.
He replaced David Murphy, who resigned from Y & R; in November to take a job as president of Saatchi & Saatchi Worldwide Inc.’s Torrance office.
Eiserman, who has worked with Y & R; and its subsidiaries for 11 years, relocated from the East Coast.
For more on Y & R;, see the Feb. 20 edition of the Business Journal.
