Advertising, ad campaigns, ad agencies, and the people that make it happen

News today that yet another car account has ditched its agency and is on the hunt for someone “Fresh & Original.” In this case it’s the Hyundai Motor America account, which confirmed that it has split with The Richards Group and placed its account in review. Hyundai spent almost $600 million last year in U.S. measured media, and said it will consider a select group of agencies predetermined by COO Steve Wilhite and CMO Joel Ewanick. The good news is that they aren’t going to blow a ton of money hiring a search consultant to do a job anyone with half a brain could do for free. Namely pick half a dozen agencies to spend the next three months going crazy and blowing a ton of money on the one in six chance they’ll win a piece of business that’ll probably walk within a couple of years anyway. But hey, that’s the way the business works these days. The weird news is that the firing of Richards comes just two weeks after Ewanick, formerly Richards' director of brand planning, joined Hyundai. Wow… Is this pay back time for something Richards did to him while he was there? Whatever the reason, he certainly didn’t waste his time sticking the knife in, did he?

.