Sun Life Financial has briefed the finalists for its creative and media business, with final presentations slated for next month.
Sources identified the contenders as Doremus, Connelly Partners and Allen & Gerritsen. Doremus, a unit of Omnicom Group, is pursuing the account out of its New York office. Connelly and Allen & Gerritsen are independent shops based in Boston and Watertown, Mass., respectively.
Final pitches will take place in mid-June with a selection expected a few weeks later. Ark Advisors in New York is managing the search.
Ark referred calls to Sun Life, which declined to comment.
The winner will succeed The Martin Agency, Sun Life’s lead agency since 2009. The incumbent is not defending.
Sun Life’s media spending totaled nearly $10 million last year, down from about $14 million in 2010, according to Nielsen. Those figures don’t include online spending.
Leading the review for Sun Life is Priscilla Sims Brown, an svp and head of marketing and strategy.