Palm Taps Citron Haligman Bedecarre as Agency

After Foote, Cone & Belding Worldwide (FCB) resigned the handheld computer company in the wake of its win of giant Compaq Computer Corp., Palm Inc. has chosen Citron Haligman Bedecarre to take up the torch for the 3Com spin-off.

FCB Worldwide had created the “Simply Palm” ads that positioned the handheld devices as a tool for ordinary people — not just geeks — and extolled their sleek design.

Palm has said it would outfit all of its handheld devices with Internet access, so the new campaign will likely highlight the connectivity aspect of the products.

The size of the account wasn’t disclosed, but Palm spent $127.7 for sales and marketing in fiscal 1999.

“We are delighted to be working with Citron Haligman Bedecarre as we build on our foundation as a handheld computing standard into a leading mobile computing platform and provider of wireless Internet solutions and services,” said Satjiv Chahil, chief marketing officer, Palm, Inc.

“Citron Haligman Bedecarre has a track record of building brands and new market categories in dynamic and fast moving dot.com environments. They played a key role in building the CNET brand and establishing Sony’s VAIO 505 Superslim notebook as an industry leader.”