Lewis Lazare: After some initial confusion sparked by premature and inaccurate online chatter among advertising trade journalists about the results of electronics giant Sony’s account review, the matter was clarified late Monday. Sony said it would not have one ad agency of record going forward, but rather three shops: Fallon/Minneapolis; McKinney + Silver in Durham, N.C. and Bagby and Co., which had been doing some superlative project work for Sony on an interim basis during the review.
For the Bagby organization — and founding leader Steve Bagby in particular — the Sony victory was a joyous confirmation that a quarter-century of hard work had paid off in a big way.
“There was a great feeling of pride when the announcement was made,” said Bagby, who was in Los Angeles Tuesday, shooting new commercials for Sony’s high-definition televisions.
The fact Sony wound up with three agencies working on its advertising did not surprise Bagby.
“It’s a growing trend to look for a diversity of thinking and ideas from several agencies,” he said. “I think more big clients now are realizing that small agencies can make a big difference.”
