Carlson Revamps, Adds Four Execs

Carlson Marketing has realigned its businesses to leverage the agency’s marketing services globally.

The Minneapolis-based agency, which specializes in data-based, direct and loyalty marketing, earlier this month formed three divisions specializing in direct; sales and marketing services; and meetings and events.

The agency also added four senior managers across the divisions and overseas. Carlson—which had been Carlson Marketing Group, but dropped “Group” to emphasize its global teamwork—had been structured geographically. The new format enables the agency to tap all disciplines in its offices in 40 cities worldwide.

The first division, Carlson 1 to 1, includes relationship-marketing division Peppers & Rogers Group and all Carlson’s direct marketing work. Scott Lochridge, managing partner of Peppers & Rogers Group, oversees the new unit. New hire Steve Luengo-Jones joins the division as managing partner of Peppers & Rogers Group in Europe; he most recently was a consultant, and earlier was president of solutions consulting at EDS U.K. Luengo-Jones is credited with launching British Airways’ Executive Club Gold Card in the 1980s.

The second division, Sales & Marketing Services, includes Carlson’s loyalty marketing, recognition and rewards, interactive, and custom learning work. Carlson hired Andy Wright as executive VP overseeing the division; he had been the direct marketing practice leader for Euro RSCG 4D.

The third unit, Meetings & Events, includes the agency’s incentive group travel, meetings management, event marketing and enterprise travel work. Senior VP Robbin Rouillard manages the new division. The unit also adds VP-Event Marketing Cyril “CB” Wismar as a new hire; he had been executive VP-strategic communication and chief creative officer at PGI, Inc.

Separately, Carlson has hired Alex Kim as president-general manager of Carlson Marketing in Korea. Kim had been senior manager of strategy and business development for DaimlerChrysler Corp.’s Chrysler International Sales and Marketing division.

Carlson adopted a new logo and redesigned its Web site to showcase its services under the new structure. The agency’s interactive staff—which maintains about 500 Web sites for clients, and launches about 100 sites a year—handled the redesign.

Parts of the integrated structure, tested earlier this year, already have won Carlson new business from Etihad Airways, Arla Foods, Cargill, MBNA, Virgin Blue, Hyundai Motor Co., The Longaberger Co., China Southern Airlines and Oracle.

“We surveyed our top global clients and we’re realigning around the priorities they’ve outlined for us. Now we’re leveraging our strengths to design sales and marketing programs that really deliver measurable results,” said President-CEO Jim Schroer in a statement. “When I was a client, leading the DaimlerChrysler and Ford brands, we always wanted this sort of agency: smart but simple to do business with. Now Carlson Marketing is in the position to deliver marketing services that clients want to drive their bottom line.”

Carlson ranked No. 65 in the 2004 PROMO 100 ranking with 2003 net revenues of $234 million. Carlson didn’t participate in the 2005 PROMO 100 ranking.