August 21, 2001|By June Arney | June Arney,SUN STAFF
Baltimore-based Trahan, Burden & Charles Inc. launched a new print campaign yesterday for The Wall Street Journal Online - expanding its relationship with the business publication, which has become one of the local advertising firm's largest clients.
The series of print ads will feature classic photos of immediately recognizable historical figures such as Gen. George Patton, Dr. Sigmund Freud, Albert Einstein, Jack Benny and Ernest Hemingway. Beneath the photos, the newspaper and online editions of The Wall Street Journal will be depicted, along with the headline, "They would have used both."
"It's a big thrill for us to work for these folks," said Allan Charles, president and chief creative officer at TBC. "They're the most trusted name in journalism, research shows. We like to think that we're this hidden little gem of an agency tucked away in Baltimore. People are starting to find out about us."
The Wall Street Journal Online is the largest paid subscription site on the World Wide Web, with more than a half-million subscribers, Charles said.
Billings for the work are not being disclosed.
Dow Jones International Division for Asia also awarded TBC a pair of project assignments, according to TBC officials. That division includes The Asian Wall Street Journal, the magazine Far Eastern Economic Review and CNBC Asia.
The more comprehensive assignment is a print and television campaign that will run throughout Asia, branding the company as the No. 1 source for business news on the continent. TBC also has produced a 60-second television spot celebrating the 25th anniversary of The Asian Wall Street Journal, to run exclusively in Asia.
The ad agency's interactive group has been named online agency of record for The Wall Street Journal Online.
TBC has worked with Dow Jones since spring 1998, when the agency was awarded a single assignment for The Wall Street Journal Online. Because of its success, TBC has received additional work - about 75 ads to date.
"We're doing hires because of an increased work load across the board, the majority of which currently is the Wall Street Journal Online," said Tom Siebert, a spokesman for TBC.
Founded in 1974, TBC is a 125-person firm with offices in New York, Washington and Reno, Nev., in addition to Baltimore. The agency reported $135.5 million in billings last year and counts among its clients the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development, Foxwoods Resort Casino and Provident Bank of Maryland.
