The old client-agency relationship just isn’t what it used to be, especially in this day and age of agencies expanding their capabilities beyond the traditional limits. Now, competitive isn’t just between agencies in traditional functions like advertising and media and PR, but rather with all agencies because you never know who has staffed up to try and take your piece of business.
With the word on the street is that Kansas City-based interactive agency VML has been shown the door by Burger King, a client for which they had responsibilities for online advertising and BK.com, and it going to be replaced in its interactive duties by advertising agency Crispin, Porter + Bogusky, it is clear that nothing is sacred.
Sure, CPB isn’t just any ad agency.
In fact, they probably get the whole digital thing better than most interactive agencies and they have shown the ability to do a range of work, from building campaigns around a viral hit like Subservient Chicken to building useful and engaging consumer applications like the Domino’s pizza builder. Plus, the agency gets good PR, and what client doesn’t want that?
It’s hard to say if there is cause, as it were, for Burger King to ditch VML (but I would love to know if any readers have thoughts on that), though if they had anything to do with the Dr Pepper-Pauly Shore-Valentine’s Day debacle I strongly encourage any and all clients on their roster to immediately reconsider their professional relationship with the agency.
I have reached out to all relevant parties to confirm the rumors, but nobody is talking this morning. Or at least they’re not talking to me.
If the rumors are true, congrats to Crispin and bummer to VML…hopefully nobody’s job is affected.
6 responses so far ↓
Pwned by the King // March 26, 2008 at 2:46 pm |
Posted not even two days after the discussion was had. Nice sources.
dailybiz // March 26, 2008 at 2:51 pm |
I get so much love from Kansas City I am thinking about becoming a Royals fan.
Any additional info, on or off the record, is always interesting and appreciated. You can email dailybizblog@yahoo.com
Pwned by the King // March 26, 2008 at 3:25 pm |
Off the record? To what end? Satisfying morbid curiosity, I suppose. No thanks. But great blog.
dailybiz // March 26, 2008 at 6:54 pm |
Off the record is not just for morbid curiosity but rather to vet any further tips or comments that come in. A few off the record comments have helped me not to post something that later turned out to be untrue, one even from VML.
Glad you like the blog, I hope that you keep reading!
Nothing to see here // April 9, 2008 at 10:20 pm |
Nothing surprising here, actually. I think all parties involved will tell you that.
I can tell you this. . // April 16, 2008 at 10:27 pm |
I can tell you first hand that VML got lazy and was unable to deliver what BK wanted. Most of VML’s product is really considered “off the shelf and out of the box” nowadays and that’s becoming a brutal issue with more and more of VML’s clients. It got to the point the creative team was rewrapping things from 2 and 3 years ago and selling them as new. BK gave us more than one chance to step up but VML couldn’t pull it together. You can chalk this one up to painful VML politics and falling over itself.
K.