Incumbent Universal McCann is Among at Least Five Shops Pitching Intel's Global Media Account
By Steve McClellan
Published: January 16, 2008

NEW YORK (Adweek.com) -- At least five initial contenders have agreed to participate in the global media review being conducted by computer chip giant Intel, according to sources.

Sources estimated global ad spending in the $300 million range. The client spends about $100 million annually in U.S. measured media, per Nielsen Monitor-Plus.

In addition to the incumbent, Interpublic Group's Universal McCann, the contenders are: Aegis Group's Carat; Omnicom Group's OMD; Publicis Groupe's Starcom and WPP Group's Mediaedge:cia.

Sources said that Ark Advisors' Los Angeles office would oversee the review process for the Santa Clara, Calif.-based client. The agencies declined to comment. Ark didn't return calls for comment; the client couldn't be immediately reached for comment.

UM won the Intel account in March 2005 as part of a full-service review. McCann Erickson won creative duties as part of a joint pitch. When the client confirmed the media review in mid-December, a representative stressed that creative chores were not in play.

Intel, the world's largest microchip provider, made a big push to introduce its Core 2 Duo processor in 2006, with various McCann Worldgroup units, including McCann Erickson and MRM, contributing.