Saturn Cuts Ad Agency Publicis Hal Riney

DETROIT AP reported that General Motors Corp. subsidiary Saturn Corp. is cutting ties to its long-time advertising agency Publicis Hal Riney and is giving its entire $300 million ad account to Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, the automaker said Friday.

Saturn picked San Francisco-based Goodby Silverstein after a two-month search for an agency to help launch its new ION small cars.

In making the selection, Saturn said it had also decided to move its remaining advertising business to Goodby over the next several months.

``The decision to switch agencies was a difficult one for us,'' said Jill Lajdziak, a top Saturn marketing executive.

Publicis Hal Riney and its predecessor agencies have been with Saturn since the division was launched, helping create an image of a friendly and caring car company that formed lasting ties to customers.

``We have a long history with Publicis Hal Riney and will always recognize the excellent and memorable work the agency did to help establish Saturn as a personable car company,'' Lajdziak said. ``The result of their efforts is the strong brand equity we have today.''

Goodby, Silverstein & Partners will manage both national and regional retailer advertising for Saturn.

It already works for clients such as Hewlett-Packard, Goodyear, SBC, Discover, ETRADE, and eBay.

Saturn, which once sold only small cars, has added the VUE sport utility vehicle and L-Series mid-sized car.

``As our portfolio grows, we want to target those audiences a little more finely,'' said another Saturn marketing executuve, Lisa Hutchinson.

While the company has grown, Hutchinson said the new agency will not change its basic marketing themes of customer service and quality.