Casio Canada has completed its agency review and The Communique Group of Toronto has come out on top.
Casio has been handling its account, valued at more than $1.5 million, in-house since splitting with New York agency Doremus & Co. late in 1992.
Since then, the company has concentrated on co-op advertising and event sponsorship, with some tv advertising on tsn during Toronto Blue Jays baseball games.
With the hiring of Communique, Casio expects to move into magazines, radio, and a launch of a six-week flight of tv spots for three of its divisions this fall.
The Toronto-based company operates five divisions: timepieces; diaries and electronic calculators; electronic musical instruments; cash registers and point-of-sale; and audio/visual.
A toy division, operating as part of the electronic musical instruments business, was added last month.
Jan Wheeldon, previously with Playmobile, has joined Casio as account manager to head the new toys group.
Some of the new products for children include a Magic Lights keyboard, which lights up when played; a Creative Composer keyboard; children’s diaries; a cassette player, which is also a child’s version of a karaoke machine, and a learning telephone.
Tilden takes trucks to Prism
tilden Rent-A-Car Systems has split its advertising account, moving the truck business to Prism Communications.
The assignment was previously with Franklin Dallas (creative) and MBS Montreal (media).
Both agencies continue to handle advertising for Tilden’s car rental business.
The appointment of Prism marks Tilden’s desire to put more emphasis on the truck rental segment of its business, whereas, in the past, the primary marketing focus has been on cars.
Plans are in the developmental stage while research of the truck rental market is completed.
Unico appoints Promanad
unico of Toronto has named Promanad Communications of Mississauga, Ont. agency-of-record for its $1-million account which was previously handled on a project basis.
Unico, maker of Italian foods such as salad and cooking oils, tomato products, pasta sauces, beans and olives, has focussed mainly on in-store promotions in the past.
Promanad is field testing a new marketing program for Unico that breaks out of the traditional packaged goods mould.
If the test is successful, the program is expected to launch late April.
VRH flies AirBC
airbc has awarded its account to VRH Communications of Vancouver after a review of agencies which included Moreland & Associates and SKS Group Advertising on the short-list.
The account, estimated at under $1 million, had been with the Vancouver office of Foote Cone and Belding since 1988.
AirBC is Air Canada’s regional airline in b.c.
Staff cuts at MacLaren:Lintas
Earlier this month, MacLaren: Lintas Toronto laid off 22 employees in creative, media, account and administrative departments.
Maureen McCandless, manager of client services for MacLaren:Lintas’ public affairs arm, The Martland Group, says the streamlining reflects what is happening in the marketplace and is part of a larger reorganization of the agency that will unfold over the next year.
McCandless says while there have been cutbacks in the area of traditional advertising, other MacLaren:Lintas units, such as event marketing company Relationship Marketing Group, have grown.
The MacLaren:Lintas group of companies employs more than 300.
