EA Sports Names Lead Shops

Electronic Arts said Heat and Freestyle Interactive would team up to handle advertising and marketing chores supporting the company's EA Sports franchise.

The company's sports titles include bestsellers such as Madden NFL Football, Tiger Woods PGA Tour, NBA Live and FIFA Soccer. EA Sports' measured media spending fell by nearly half last year to slightly more than $20 million after tallying $40 million in 2007, per Nielsen Monitor-Plus.

Both Heat and Freestyle have worked for the company on various projects, promoting EA games such as Skate, Army of Two and Need for Speed. Their appointment signifies their elevated status as EA Sports' lead creative partners across all game titles. The selection was made following a review.

The ability of the shops to integrate online and offline efforts, as well as their strengths in communications planning, won the day, said Carolyn Feinstein, the client's group vice president of marketing.

Scott Redick, a strategist at Freestyle, said: "Our goal is simple, yet ambitious -- make any fan of sports a fan of EA Sports."
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