RADIOSHACK HIRES FULL-SERVICE AGENCY
By Adnews Staff
Young & Rubicam's Toronto office is now behind the counter with RadioShack. The electronics retailer, based in Barrie, Ont., hired the agency earlier this month to handle advertising for its 850 stores. RadioShack spent more than $8 million on advetising in Canada last year, according to AC Nielsen estimates. Y&R won the business in a competition with four other agencies. "Their innovative way of thinking, combined with superior creative and media expertise was exactly what we were looking for," RadioShack president Heinz Stier says in a release. The other short-listed agencies were Dentsu Cadence Canada, Holmes Donin Alloul, Ranscombe & Co. and Vaughn Whelan, all of Toronto. Vaughn Whelan previously did broadcast creative while RadioShack handled print and media buying in-house. Y&R will take over broadcast and print advertising, as well as media buying. RadioShack decided to have a review because it wanted a full-service agency that could work on all aspects of its advertising and give its campaigns consistency, advertising director Kara Beaubien told Adnews last week.