Ingalls, Mullen On Software Ag's List

Six agencies have emerged as semifinalists in the review for the ad account of Software AG Americas.
Competing for creative and media chores for the Reston, Va., company are: Ingalls Advertising in Boston; Mullen in Wenham, Mass.; The Martin Agency in Richmond, Va.; and Hampel/Stefanides, Merkley Newman Harty and Jordan, McGrath, Case & Taylor, all in New York. There is no incumbent.
A representative at Pile and Co., the management consulting firm in Boston overseeing the review process, confirmed the list of contenders last week but declined to discuss specifics. Billings are estimated at $5-7 million, sources said.
The contenders will make capabilities presentations to client executives. At least three finalists will be named before the end of the month, with a final decision expected in December, sources said.
The agencies were chosen based in part on their ability to handle technology accounts and brand business-oriented clients on a national scale, sources said.
The client is looking to create a strong brand image and name recognition in the face of better-known competitors such as Oracle Corp. and SAP, sources said.
Formerly a subsidiary of Software AG in Darnstadt, Germany, the client is now operating as an independent corporation, licensing Software AG database management, application engineering and related products for sale in the U.S. Advertising for the client was last performed on a project basis by Saatchi & Saatchi in San Francisco. WestWayne in Atlanta worked on the account in the early 1990s but lost the business four years ago. Those shops created mainly print-based campaigns that ran in the business and technology press as well as some consumer publications.
Print will likely remain the focus of work created by the agency that wins the current review, but on a larger scale and with a strong branding component, sources said.