Utah-based 1-800 CONTACTS Inc., a direct
marketer of contact lenses, selected the San Francisco office of Saatchi &
Saatchi as its first agency-of-record to handle national advertising.
The company’s integrated national consumer ad campaign is scheduled to debut
in the second half of this year, with annual billings estimated at $18
million to $20 million, according to a Reuters report.
Saatchi & Saatchi was awarded the assignment after a review that included two
Los Angeles agencies, the D’Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles unit of MacManus
Group, and Rubin Postaer and Associates, as well as New York agency Gotham
Inc.
“We wanted to partner with an agency that understood how to transition the
traditional direct response telephone ordering model into the world of
e-commerce,” said Jonathan Coon, president and founder of 1-800 CONTACTS.
“Saatchi also proved they had the ability to create advertising that would
get noticed and help to define a brand image for our company.”
Saatchi & Saatchi will assist mainly in the development of TV and Internet
advertising, but also will help with its direct marketing and public
relations.