CANSTAR CONSOLIDATES AD BUSINESS
By Adnews Staff
After deciding to consolidate all its brands under the Bauer name, Canstar Sports gave its worldwide creative and media buying jobs last week to PNMB/Publitel. The Montreal agency, which is part of the BBDO Worldwide network, will be the lead shop, working with BBDO offices in Toronto, Los Angeles, New York and Munich. The hockey equipment maker's account bills in the millions. PNMD was chosen over Canadian incumbent Vickers & Benson Advertising of Toronto in a review because it has the multinational capabilities that V&B doesn't, global marketing communications director Jennifer Damiani told Adnews last week. The other incumbent, Leonard/Monahan of Providence, Rhode Island, was invited to participate in the review but declined. Genesis Media of Toronto, which is partly owned by V&B, was previously handling media buying. Last year Canstar decided to consolidate all its brands under the Bauer name to make itself the dominant player in the hockey equipment market. The restructuring is being done in two phases. The first begins this month when Canstar's skate brands, Lange, Daoust, Micron and Mega, will all be sold under the Bauer name. Next January the company will put the Bauer name on its Cooper and Flak protective gear.