Agency reviews to know about: Subway, Sam's Club, Motorola

Even as President Donald Trump’s “reciprocal” tariffs spark widespread economic uncertainty, several marketers—including Arby’s and American Express—are pressing ahead with agency reviews and hiring new shops. Read more: Tracking the ad industry’s response to the economy Below, Ad Age lists 11 agency reviews to know about this month. Do you know about another review not listed here? Send an email to aatips@adage.com. And stay up to date with several ongoing pitches with our Agency Review Tracker, exclusive to All Access subscribers. American Express AmEx is conducting a creative review for its U.S. business, with incumbent Dentsu expected to defend. WPP is also participating in the pitch, according to people familiar with the matter. The review will not impact Dentsu’s global remit with the company, according to an AmEx spokesperson. Ally Financial The online banking company is looking to add a new agency to its roster. It has held conversations with at least two high-profile agencies, including Wieden+Kennedy and Mischief @ No Fixed Address. Ally Chief Marketing and PR Officer Andrea Brimmer told Ad Age there would be no changes to the brand’s relationship with Anomaly, which serves as lead creative and strategy agency. Ally also works with EssenceMediacom on media. Arby’s The fast-food sandwich chain launched a creative review after more than a decade with Fallon. It wasn’t immediately clear if that agency, which created the iconic “We have the meats” tagline, is defending the account. Joanne Davis Consulting is managing the review. Arby’s recently selected Tombras to handle its social media. CarMax The used vehicle retailer appointed 72andSunny Los Angeles as its creative agency of record following a review handled by R3. It’s also reviewing its media account handled by Dentsu X, which was invited to participate in the process. The Martin Agency had managed CarMax’s creative since 2019. Motorola The smartphone maker aims to consolidate its global creative business under one agency in a review managed by R3. It currently works with several agencies, including Dentsu Creative, Heaven and Los York. Motorola is owned by PC giant Lenovo, which in 2023 consolidated its global business-to-business creative account with Wunderman Thompson (now VML). It wasn’t immediately clear whether VML is pitching in the wider Motorola review. Northwestern Mutual The provider of financial planning and life insurance hired independent agency PMG as its U.S. media agency. MediaLink handled the pitch, and Horizon Media’s performance marketing arm, Horizon Next, was the incumbent agency. Pacific Life Insurance The life insurance company named GSD&M as its agency of record. The Omnicom Group shop will handle creative, strategy, media buying and planning and social. The agency’s first work is set to debut in August. Ark Advisors managed the review. Independent agency Innocean USA, which defended the account, was the creative incumbent. It wasn’t immediately clear which other shops Pacific Life Insurance formerly worked with. Sam’s Club The retailer consolidated its creative and media assignments with Publicis Groupe. The French ad giant, which also handles Sam’s Club sibling Walmart, is now the club chain’s integrated agency of record, encompassing paid media, social and production. This includes a bespoke media solution for Sam’s Club within Publicis Media. MediaLink handled the three-month agency review, which took business away from incumbents Arnold and Horizon Next. Arnold defended in the early phases of the review, but Horizon, while invited to participate, did not. Southwest Airlines The airline added Leo Chicago to its creative agency roster after a review. The Publicis Groupe-owned shop will work alongside Southwest’s longtime agency partner, GSD&M. GSD&M and Southwest have worked together since 1981, representing one of the advertising industry’s longest-running client-agency relationships. Starz The premium cable network moved its media business to Horizon Media from Canvas Worldwide, a spokesperson for the company confirmed. (This result was first reported in the Agency Review Tracker. Check out more here.) Subway Publicis Groupe’s Leo New York was awarded the restaurant chain’s U.S. creative account, taking over from Dentsu Creative. Subway is also reviewing its U.S. paid media business, but a decision has not yet been made on that process. McCann and Ogilvy also competed in the creative pitch, which was overseen by R3. Shortly after Leo New York’s appointment, Subway hired former PepsiCo marketer Greg Lyons as its global chief marketing officer. Data-driven Marketing Playbook: Join industry leaders on May 22 to explore how data can drive marketing strategies, optimize media buying and improve customer engagement. Learn more here.

11 agency reviews to know about

Featured Stories