HONDA PARKS EVERYTHING WITH ACLK
By Adnews Staff
Honda Canada has decided it only needs one ad agency. On April 1 the car maker will move its Honda brand account, which has been with Doner Schur Peppler for more than 10 years, to another Toronto agency, Ambrose Carr Linton Kelly. The latter has been working for Honda's Acura division since 1980. According to A.C. Nielsen estimates, Honda Canada spent just over $20 million on advertising in 1994, a little more than $8 million of that on Acura. ACLK is getting everything because of "efficiencies and synergies to be had in having both car lines handled by one agency," according to automobile sales and marketing senior vice-president Jim Miller. ACLK was chosen because "they had a closer connection with U.S. agencies," Miller said yesterday. ACLK has done a lot of joint Acura shoots with Ketchum Advertising's Los Angeles office which handles Acura in the U.S. Honda is the second big advertiser to consolidate with ACLK in a month. In mid-February Cara Operations of Toronto moved its $10-million-plus Harvey's account back to ACLK without a review. ACLK had been handling both the Harvey's and Swiss Chalet accounts for 11 years for Cara when the latter decided in late 1992 it could do better by having separate ad shops for each fast food chain. It gave Harvey's to SMW Advertising in Toronto. This year Cara changed its mind and gave Harvey's back to ACLK. Esmé Carroll, who took over as ACLK's president last July, told Adnews yesterday that her agency has been focused on getting new business lately.