Location: Chicago

URL: www.ddb.com

Key executives: Rick Carpenter, president-CEO; Dick Rogers, president North America

Employees: N/A

2008 revenue: N/A

2008 b2b revenue: N/A

Key clients: AT&T, Emerson, Legg-Mason, Microsoft Corp., United Technologies Corp.

Major 2008 campaigns: AT&T, "You Dream It, We Stream It," online; Microsoft, "Office Live Small Business," online; United Technologies Corp., "Cross Section," print, radio, outdoor, online

Comments: Added new clients including AT&T, Glidden, Legg-Mason, McAfee, Sunpower and Wachovia; won additional assignments from Microsoft; agency inducted into CEBA Hall of Fame. DDB had a strong year in the b2b space in 2008. A particular highlight came late in the year, when AT&T consolidated its b2b business with the agency. It also won new assignments from existing client Microsoft Corp. and landed new accounts including Glidden, Legg Mason, McAfee and Wachovia (now part of Wells Fargo).

“B2b is an important strategic pillar of our organization,” said Dick Rogers, president North America for DDB. The agency also handles large consumer brands such as Clorox, McDonald's and Volkswagen.

One of its most important wins last year was AT&T's b2b account, with estimated billings of $120 million. DDB began its work for the client by developing an online campaign for AT&T Digital Media Solutions, called “You Dream It, We Stream It,” aimed at small businesses.

The campaign includes a microsite with short videos showing how AT&T can help small businesses achieve their goals. With humorous titles such as “IT Tai-Chi” and “CE-Yoga,” the films depict how AT&T can help entrepreneurs and small businesses with content management, content distribution, digital signage and video broadcasting.

DDB also expanded its relationship significantly with Microsoft, picking up new assignments for Office Live Small Business, Office Live Workspace and Microsoft Partner Points Program.

For Office Live Small Business, it created a lead-generation campaign aimed at businesses with between seven and 15 employees.

“We used proprietary tools to target a very specific group with a compelling argument in a creative manner,” Rogers said. “If you go into this target, what they are concerned about is cost and ease of use.”

So the agency created an email campaign driving users to a landing page, which makes the case that Microsoft Office Live is the easiest platform for small businesses to use to handle their business needs.

DDB created an integrated campaign for United Technologies Corp., called “Cross Section,” aimed at institutional investors. The campaign was designed to reach Wall Street executives on their way to work and included prominent outdoor ads in New York commuter stations, stickers on The Wall Street Journal, branded coffee mugs and early morning radio spots.

Another one of DDB's growth areas last year was social media. It added the new position of chief community officer in several of its offices to develop an ROI approach to social media. Also last year, DDB was inducted into the CEBA Hall of Fame. M