- Victorinox Swiss Army tapped MeringCarson to develop a national timepiece marketing campaign. The account, which has done little U.S. advertising in recent years (roughly $21,000 spent on measured media in 2013, per Kantar Media), was awarded following a review. Initial work will focus on the catalog of Victorinox Swiss Army watches.
- DDB Canada's Vancouver office was named agency of record for PayWith Worldwide, a new mobile payments and marketing company. PayWith Worldwide, based in Vancouver, recently launched a mobile app that allows anyone to securely pay with their smartphone and receive instant rewards. In Canada, PayWith is currently available in more than 200 locations in metro Vancouver, including Fresh Bowl, Juice Hair Salon and Esthetics, the Freshslice Pizza chain operating in BC and Ontario, the Vera's Burger Shack chain, the Craft Beer Guild and a host of independent merchants ranging from bike rental to marine supply stores.
- Denver-based agency LRXD has added Bare Snacks and Lenny & Larry's to its roster of clients. LRXD was appointed lead marketing agency for both brands following a competitive pitch process. Bare Snacks is a San Francisco-based food company that produces a line of Snacks Gone Simple -- each made with seven ingredients or less and sans artificial flavors. Bare Snacks spent $158,000 on measured media in 2013, according to Kantar Media. Lenny & Larry's is a Northridge California-based bakery focused on high protein muffins, cookies and other all natural baked goods.
- Following a review, Ball Horticultural Company, a producer and wholesale distributor of ornamental plants, hired Upshot as agency of record on its two consumer brands: Wave (Petunias and Pansies) and Burpee Home Gardens (Vegetables, Herbs and Flowers). The Chicago-based agency was tasked to help create demand for the brands through brand strategy, creative development and execution, digital initiatives, retail marketing and media planning and buying. Upshot will partner with Zapwater for public relations work. Media spend for Wave pansies and petunias has increased from 2102 to 2013, according to Kantar Media. Wave spent $304,000 on its pansies brand in 2013, up from $151,000 in 2012. The company spent $263,000 on its line of petunias up from $114,000 in 2012.
