Hasta La Creative!

Ace Hardware has named O’Keefe, Reinhard & Paul its new agency after a review.

Omnicom’s GSD&M had been the lead agency on the account since 2009, though the the agency did not participate in the review. According to people familiar with the matter, finalists in the review were Interpublic’s FCB, Escape Pod, OKRP and Schafer Condon Carter, all in Chicago, not far from the company’s Oak Brook, Ill. headquarters. There was no search consultant involved in the review.

Jeff Gooding, senior director of consumer marketing and advertising at Ace said that the marketer chose OKRP, in part, because of its small business mindset (the shop is a two-year-old startup), which he said matches that of its store owners, who have some 4,400 U.S. locations. “Their insights and creative were strong and straightforward, and we’re a straightforward company,” he said. He also noted that the agency took the time to understand the company’s culture, which is based on being a source of advice for consumers who like do-it-yourself home improvement projects.

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