Agency news to know: May 27, 2022

JCPenney consolidates media business

JCPenney has named Dentsu X as its U.S. media agency of record following an internal review. The appointment marks an expansion of JCPenney’s relationship with Dentsu X, which worked with the retailer for 17 years “largely in the search and performance media space,” according to a statement by the agency. 

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Dentsu will now handle all of JCP’s media buying and planning across platforms. That business was previously handled by OMD Worldwide, which declined to comment.

The 120-year-old retail chain has had its fair share of struggles lately. In 2020, JCP filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, from which it emerged after its acquisition by Simon Property Group and Brookfield Property Partners later that year. As of now, there are 689 JCPenney locations in operation, down from more than 1,110 in 2012.

JCP spent $85.8 million on U.S. measured media in 2021, up from $69.6 million in 2020, but still lower than the $203.5 million it spent in 2019, according to Kantar.

This new business win comes on the heels of Dentsu X US being named Santander Bank’s U.S. media agency earlier this year.

“Dentsu has evolved with us through many different phases of the JCPenney brand, always with a focus on performance,” said Bill Cunningham, VP of marketing, JCPenney. “We’re eager to scale up the agency’s responsibilities and leverage their people-based approach across our media strategy to drive relevancy for our customers and ultimately fuel growth.”

Dream floor

LL Flooring, formerly Lumber Liquidators, has named Barkley as its agency of record, consolidating its creative and media business under one agency. Fallon, which led the company’s rebrand last year, previously served as creative agency of record and Zimmerman as media AOR.

“After our rebrand to LL Flooring in 2021 we were looking for a partner that could not only help us develop great creative, but also develop and manage brand and media strategy as we seek to provide the best customer experience from inspiration to installation,” said Mike Dauberman, chief growth officer at LL Flooring. “The partnership and strategy go hand-in-hand with our plans for aggressive growth.” 

The agency’s “Dream Floor” campaign, the first from the new partnership, includes multiple spots showing different consumers finding the floor that fits their needs whether they have kids or a dog, or are shopping on a budget.