ONE YEAR AFTER the rug was pulled out from under 141 Worldwide, the agency network has regained its footing in North America with new-business wins and a foray into premiums and events.

This month 141 opens an event-marketing arm under its first-ever exec VP-experiential marketing, Jeff Stelmach, and expands its premiums business, 141 Signature, by opening offices in Chicago and Los Angeles to work with its Hong Kong headquarters on producing custom premiums. Premiums clients include Kraft Foods, Kodak and Bristol Myers.

In the first quarter, 141 North America won Boeing’s estimated $1 million-plus global project to launch its Dreamliner, a new aircraft that begins flying in 2007; consumer promotion and business-to-business kick off in third-quarter 2004 in the U.S., Europe and Asia. 141 pitched the business with sister shops Ogilvy One (U.S.) and events agency PCI:Live (Europe). 141’s Chicago office will set strategy; offices worldwide will execute.

Other 2004 wins are Allstate Insurance Co.’s Olympics tie-in and Ace Hardware’s paint-department re-launch, both with 141’s Chicago office; the New York City office added Primus Telecommunications and Brown & Williamson’s low-toxin Advance cigarettes, now testing in Indianapolis.

No clients have left since Allied Domecq’s October departure (see sidebar). North America revenues are an estimated $35 million; worldwide revenues are estimated at $125 million.

141 North America also has added a handful of senior managers to oversee cross-discipline work that resulted from reorganization under WPP Group, which bought the network in August 2003. Since then, WPP has aligned 141 offices with its strongest ad agencies in each region — Ogilvy & Mather in North and South America, Red Cell in Europe, Bates in Asia. That strengthens ad agencies’ below-the-line assets and helps avoid potential client conflicts.

“141 Worldwide continues to exist independently as a horizontal network and is free to engage with agencies in and outside the WPP network,” says 141 North America president-regional director Jay Farrell.

Chicago agency veteran Larry Deutsch came aboard in March as exec VP-engagement partner, one of three “engagement partners” named since early 2003 to coordinate work from 141’s promotions, interactive, direct marketing and sports marketing units. (Others are Shireen Moore and Craig Treankler.) Deutsch was at Upshot and is a veteran of Wunderman. In January, Ted Parrack was promoted to exec VP-strategic planning director, a new post, transferring to Chicago from New York.

ONE YEAR AFTER the rug was pulled out from under 141 Worldwide, the agency network has regained its footing in North America with new-business wins and a foray into premiums and events.

This month 141 opens an event-marketing arm under its first-ever exec VP-experiential marketing, Jeff Stelmach, and expands its premiums business, 141 Signature, by opening offices in Chicago and Los Angeles to work with its Hong Kong headquarters on producing custom premiums. Premiums clients include Kraft Foods, Kodak and Bristol Myers.

In the first quarter, 141 North America won Boeing’s estimated $1 million-plus global project to launch its Dreamliner, a new aircraft that begins flying in 2007; consumer promotion and business-to-business kick off in third-quarter 2004 in the U.S., Europe and Asia. 141 pitched the business with sister shops Ogilvy One (U.S.) and events agency PCI:Live (Europe). 141’s Chicago office will set strategy; offices worldwide will execute.

Other 2004 wins are Allstate Insurance Co.’s Olympics tie-in and Ace Hardware’s paint-department re-launch, both with 141’s Chicago office; the New York City office added Primus Telecommunications and Brown & Williamson’s low-toxin Advance cigarettes, now testing in Indianapolis.

No clients have left since Allied Domecq’s October departure (see sidebar). North America revenues are an estimated $35 million; worldwide revenues are estimated at $125 million.

141 North America also has added a handful of senior managers to oversee cross-discipline work that resulted from reorganization under WPP Group, which bought the network in August 2003. Since then, WPP has aligned 141 offices with its strongest ad agencies in each region — Ogilvy & Mather in North and South America, Red Cell in Europe, Bates in Asia. That strengthens ad agencies’ below-the-line assets and helps avoid potential client conflicts.

“141 Worldwide continues to exist independently as a horizontal network and is free to engage with agencies in and outside the WPP network,” says 141 North America president-regional director Jay Farrell.

Chicago agency veteran Larry Deutsch came aboard in March as exec VP-engagement partner, one of three “engagement partners” named since early 2003 to coordinate work from 141’s promotions, interactive, direct marketing and sports marketing units. (Others are Shireen Moore and Craig Treankler.) Deutsch was at Upshot and is a veteran of Wunderman. In January, Ted Parrack was promoted to exec VP-strategic planning director, a new post, transferring to Chicago from New York.

Global Glue

141 Worldwide was badly shaken when global client Allied Domecq — skittish about the trail of clients departing 141 parent Cordiant Communications — announced in April 2003 that it would drop 141 in the fall from its estimated $40 million to $60 million account. The losses forced London-based Cordiant on the block (December 2003 PROMO).

141 was one asset that WPP wanted; the global network is valuable, but tough to maintain, since skills and local clients vary widely between offices. Still, 141 Worldwide maintains a global executive board and offices collaborate worldwide, especially for longtime client British American Tobacco.

The New York City office is managed separately from 141’s other North American outposts: full-service offices in Chicago and Toronto (opened August 2003) and sports marketing units in Pittsburgh and Honolulu.

New York handles BAT’s U.S. launch of KOOL Smooth Fusions flavored cigarettes, with special packaging and on-premise promotions. 141 New York also sets KOOL’s global strategy, which local offices execute.

“You act as a global network when you have the glue of global clients [like BAT] to keep you together,” says Rich Newman, president-regional director of 141 New York.