FCB Southern California in Costa Mesa, Orange County’s second-largest advertising agency, has emerged as the winner in a shootout for client Hilton Hotels Corp.’s newly expanded account.
Following a recent Hilton hotel-chain purchase, FCB vied with two other agencies for Hilton’s new Doubletree brand and overall media buying and planning accounts. The win adds an estimated $25 million to FCB’s annual billings and comes atop the $30 million Hilton account FCB’s held for the past two years.
FCB will now oversee an account spanning luxury hotels to roadside inns. The deal stems from Beverly Hills-based Hilton Hotels’ purchase of Memphis-based Promus Hotel Corp. for $4 billion in December, a deal that created the nation’s biggest lodging chain with more than 1,800 hotels and 300,000 rooms worldwide.
“We now have a brand that targets every range and type of traveler,” FCB President Jim Harrington said.
FCB picked up the creative work for Doubletree held by TBWAChiatDay in New York and Hilton’s overall media buying and planning assignments for Hilton’s new 1,700-unit hotel chain. FCB also handles advertising for the Hilton Honors program.
DDB in Dallas was the incumbent agency for the former Promus brands , Embassy Suites, Doubletree Hotels, Red Lion Inns and Hotels, Homewood Suites and Hampton Inn & Suites. The agency had handled Promus’ media buying and planning for its 1,443-unit hotel chain.
The three incumbent agencies were tapped to compete for the various portions of Hilton’s advertising account in what Harrington called a quiet review.
“They were happy with each individual agency, but it made good business sense to consolidate and pool resources,” he said.
The Doubletree ad account is a multimedia assignment that includes print, TV, pamphlets, direct marketing, sales promotions, in-room advertising, logo and letterhead design.
The key to landing the two new accounts was having an understanding of the company’s customer base and needs of its individual brands, Harrington said.
FCB Southern California ranks No. 2 on the Business Journal’s list of top advertising agencies with $403 million in capitalized 1999 billings and 410 company-wide employees including 310 in OC.
