Samsung to review $600M advertising account

Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. has put its estimated $600 million-plus global advertising account into review, according to executives familiar with the situation.
WPP Group’s MindShare currently handles Samsung’s U.S. media account, which is valued at about $152 million, according to TNS Media Intelligence. The South Korean electronics company spent about $626 million on advertising globally in 2005, according to Advertising Age’s most recent Global Marketers Report.
The review comes two years after Samsung replaced WPP’s Berlin Cameron and JWT on its creative advertising and branding responsibilities after less than year on the job. Publicis Groupe’s Leo Burnett Worldwide took over those businesses.
At the time, it was said that Samsung was unhappy with some aspects of the relationship with WPP and that the companies couldn’t agree on compensation.
Samsung has been known as a challenging ad account to work with because of internal politics and a structure that requires outside agencies to work with Cheil Communications, a local advertising agency that handles much of Samsung’s marketing.
A spokesman for MindShare referred calls to Samsung. A spokesman for Samsung did not return calls seeking comment.
Megan McIlroy and Jeremy Mullman are reporters for Advertising Age, a sister publication of RCR Wireless News. Both publications are owned by Crain Communications Inc.