In the wake of Target’s split with Wieden & Kennedy in January, Deutsch L.A. has received creative assignments from the Minneapolis-based retailer. The nature of the projects could not be determined, but on the website of the Interpublic agency, Target’s bull’s-eye logo now appears among those of other clients.
Deutsch declined to comment and referred inquiries to Target. Stacia Smith, manager of communications at Target, also declined to comment, saying, “In the typical course of business, Target does not discuss or disclose contract agreements with vendors or partners.”
The move to Deutsch is believed to have occurred without a review. It follows Target’s confirmation earlier this month that it awarded creative responsibilities for its grocery and food business to Mono, the Minneapolis agency owned by MDC Partners.
W&K was Target’s first agency of record. Currently, the company, with an in-house creative group of 300 people, is handing out separate assignments rather than working with a single agency. Target’s previous agency, Minneapolis-based Peterson Milla Hooks, which worked for the company for nearly 20 years, was not given AOR status.
Target is also still without a CMO after Michael Francis left the job in October to become president at JCPenney, after a decade overseeing the retailer’s award-winning advertising. It remains to be seen if his successor will want to consolidate the retailer’s business at one agency.