CHICAGO, Aug. 10, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- United Continental Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: UAL) today announced the selection of New York-based mcgarrybowen as the lead agency partner for the company's consolidated global consumer and trade advertising. mcgarrybowen will partner with New York-based Horizon Media to execute the airline's marketing communications strategy, traditional and digital creative and media investment management.
After an extensive search which began in the spring, United identified three integrated agency network finalists - Arnold Worldwide, mcgarrybowen and TBWA\Chiat\Day - from among eight agencies that originally vied for the account, including incumbents Kaplan Thaler Group and Barrie D'Rozario Murphy. The three finalists made final presentations in mid-July.
"Selecting a new long-term agency partner with the depth, expertise and passion to help us advance the United brand is one of the most important marketing decisions we have made since closing the merger of United and Continental," said Mark Bergsrud, senior vice president of marketing. "We are excited to work with mcgarrybowen to develop a marketing communications program that will enable us to tell the story of the new United."
"We are honored to have the opportunity to help define the new United - a company born from two world-class airlines with great heritage and heart - for its customers and its employees," said John P. McGarry, Jr., chairman and chief executive officer of mcgarrybowen. "We look forward to partnering with the United team on an effort that will bring fresh thinking, new insights and bold creative work to the highly competitive airline category."
New York-based Bajkowski + Partners LLC managed the integrated agency search. Sponsorship marketing, loyalty marketing, CRM and public relations were not part of the review.
About Bajkowski + Partners LLC
Bajkowski + Partners is an independent marketing strategy and resource management consulting firm serving Fortune 500 brands as well as small cap ventures. Headquartered in New York, practice areas include agency relationship management, agency search, agency compensation, agency roster management and marketing management. For more information, please visit www.bajkowski-partners.com.
About United Continental Holdings, Inc.
United Continental Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: UAL) is the holding company for both United Airlines and Continental Airlines. Together with United Express, Continental Express and Continental Connection, these airlines operate an average of 5,765 flights a day to 377 airports on six continents from their hubs in Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, Guam, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark Liberty, San Francisco, Tokyo and Washington, D.C. United and Continental are members of Star Alliance, which offers more than 21,200 daily flights to 1,185 airports in 185 countries. United and Continental's more than 80,000 employees reside in every U.S. state and in many countries around the world.For more information about United Continental Holdings, Inc., go to UnitedContinentalHoldings.com. For more information about the airlines, see united.com and continental.com or follow on Twitter and Facebook.
SOURCE United Continental Holdings, Inc.
