pitches: some you lose

Some you lose:

We learned late last week that a couple of pitches we'd just done at W+K London were unsuccessful. Very disappointing after all the hard work everyone put in. But that's the way it goes sometimes.

Some you win:

W+K Portland heard on Friday that their pitch for Levi's US business had been successful. That doesn't mean we'll be picking up Levi's in the UK, but it's a great result for the network. Here's the story as reported by Brandweek:

Levi Strauss has selected Wieden + Kennedy to handle domestic creative duties on its core brand after a review, the client has confirmed.

The other finalist was Omnicom Group's Cutwater, San Francisco, which partnered with sister shop TBWA\Chiat\Day in Playa del Rey, Calif.

The selection came a week after Levi's narrowed the field in its review. Major U.S. media spending on the brand was nearly $80 million last year, per TNS Media Intelligence.

Six shops made presentations to client executives the week of Dec. 1. The pitches took place at Levi's headquarters in San Francisco.

The client previously identified the other presenters as Omnicom's Goodby, Silverstein & Partners in San Francisco, WPP Group units Ogilvy & Mather in New York and Chicago and Young & Rubicam in New York, and independent Anomaly in New York.

The incumbent, Publicis Groupe-backed Bartle Bogle Hegarty here, did not defend. BBH, which also works on Levi's in Europe and Asia, had handled the account since 2001.

Levi's said last week that the domestic review would not impact the European and Asia-Pacific assignments handled by BBH in London and Singapore, respectively.

Nice job, Portland. Does this mean we get staff discount?