St Luke’s tipped as Sun jettisons JWT global role

Sun Microsystems has ended a relationship in which J Walter Thompson was its sole agency of record, less than a year after re-appointing the agency to its global business. The business is worth &£2m in the UK.

The software giant will now work with agencies on a project basis, with St Luke’s tipped to work on Sun’s next UK project.

The company’s vice-president of brand, marketing and advertising Scott Kraft met UK agencies this week following talks in the US.

Kraft met St Luke’s on Monday and says he is “impressed” with the agency’s proposals, although no project has yet been given to the agency.

He also met Mother, but Sun has no plans to work with the agency.

“We decided it was not in our shareholders’ best interest for us to have just one agency,” says Kraft. “JWT understood our business and culture, but we want to work with agencies that can offer us more strategic focus, creativity and hunger.”

Kraft has held talks in the US with four agencies: Arnell Group, Butler Shine & Stern, Wolfe/Doyle, and DiMassimo. Arnell Group is the first to be awarded a contract.

Kraft adds that Sun’s advertising will continue to have a business-to-business focus and confirms that the company will retain Starcom Motive as its global media agency. He says that Sun may still work with JWT on individual projects.

JWT retained the Sun Microsystems global account in September 2002 after winning a pitch against Leagas Delaney and Fallon.