News From the Advertising Industry

Accounts

â–  Anheuser-Busch, St. Louis, part of Anheuser-Busch InBev, named Energy BBDO as lead agency for the Bud Light beer brand in the United States, assuming duties like strategic planning and creative development from Translation, New York, which will continue to create campaigns for Bud Light line extensions like Bud Light Platinum. Spending was estimated at more than $300 million. Energy BBDO is the Chicago office of BBDO North America, part of the BBDO Worldwide division of the Omnicom Group; other BBDO Worldwide units create campaigns for Anheuser-Busch InBev beer brands that include Antarctica, in Brazil, and Beck's, in Germany.

â–  Sleepy's, Hicksville, N.Y., the mattress and bedding retail chain, selected Publicis Kaplan Thaler, New York, as its creative agency, the first time that the company has used an outside agency for creative advertising work. Spending was estimated at $75 million. Horizon Media, New York, continues as the media agency for Sleepy's. Publicis Kaplan Thaler is part of the Publicis Worldwide in the USA division of Publicis Worldwide, which is owned by the Publicis Groupe.

â–  Regis University, Denver, named TDA_Boulder, Boulder, Colo., as agency of record, handling the creative and media parts of its account. Spending was not disclosed. Regis had previously worked with Mortar, San Francisco.

People

â–  Brian Powley, president for North America at iCrossing, based in San Francisco, was promoted to a new post, global president, succeeding Don Scales, who had been president and chief executive. Mr. Scales is leaving, the company said; his departure comes three years after iCrossing was acquired by the Hearst Corporation, New York.

■ Connie Anne Phillips rejoined Condé Nast, New York, part of Advance Publications, as vice president and publisher of Glamour magazine, succeeding William Wackermann, who held the title of executive vice president and publishing director; Mr. Wackermann is becoming executive vice president and publishing director of Condé Nast Traveler magazine, assuming duties from Carolyn Kremins, vice president and publisher, who became senior vice president and general manager of the Epicurious unit of Condé Nast. Ms. Phillips had most recently been publisher of InStyle magazine, New York, part of the Time Inc. unit of Time Warner, and before that spent 14 years at Vogue magazine, part of Condé Nast, in posts that included associate publisher and managing director.

Miscellany

â–  WPP, London, announced a reorganization of its retail marketing and shopper marketing agencies, which had been in the works since March. A new unit named Geometry Global, with headquarters in London and New York, will be composed of G2, part of the Grey Group; OgilvyAction, part of Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide; and JWT Action, a joint venture in the United States of JWT and OgilvyAction. Toby Hoare will be chairman of Geometry Global, based in London, while continuing as chief executive at JWT Europe and chairman at JWT London. Steve Harding, who had been chief executive at OgilvyAction, becomes chief executive at Geometry Global, based in New York. Matthew Schetlick, who had been chief operating officer and chief financial officer at G2, takes those posts at Geometry Global, also based in New York.

â–  Bitdeli, San Francisco, which specializes in data analytics, was acquired and absorbed by AdRoll, San Francisco. Financial terms were not disclosed.

■ Sid Lee, Montreal, and Cirque du Soleil, which owns a minority stake in Sid Lee, are forming a joint venture, Sid Lee Entertainment, that will specialize in so-called experiential marketing like live events. The initial clients are Absolut vodka, a Sid Lee client, and Lolë, a brand of women's active wear. Sid Lee Entertainment is to be led by Joanne Fillion, as executive producer, and will have offices in Montreal as well as Amsterdam, New York, Paris and Toronto.

â–  The Chevrolet division of General Motors agreed to become a sponsor of the annual Academy Awards broadcast for five years, beginning with the show on ABC on March 2, 2014. Financial terms were not disclosed. Chevrolet's sponsorship will represent a return after a five-year absence; during that time, Hyundai, sold by Hyundai Motor America, was the sole automotive sponsor.

â–  Onex Corporation completed its acquisition of Nielsen Expositions from an affiliate of Nielsen Holdings for $950 million in cash and renamed the business Emerald Expositions. The Jordan Edmiston Group, New York, served as an adviser to Onex.

â–  Grooms Athletic Management and Entertainment, New York, was acquired by French/West/Vaughan, Raleigh, N.C., and becomes part of the French/West/Vaughan sports and entertainment practice. Financial terms were not disclosed. Hayes Grooms IV, founder and owner of Grooms Athletic, joined French/West/Vaughan as vice president for sports and entertainment and will be based in New York.

â–  The musician Will.i.am has become a partner at MemBrain Licensing, Beverly Hills, Calif.

â–  The American Advertising Federation's University of Miami chapter won the federation's 2013 National Student Advertising Competition, which was sponsored by Glidden, part of PPG Industries; a different marketer sponsors the competition each year.

â–  Direct Marketing Educational Foundation, New York, was renamed Marketing Edge.

Correction: A People item on June 10 omitted part of the previous title of Jackson Huynh, who joined Flingo, San Francisco, as chief operating officer. He had been global head of AdMob Ad operations at Google, not global head of AdMob operations.