DATE: Saturday, September 20, 1997          TAG: 9709200306

SECTION: BUSINESS                PAGE: D2   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS 

DATELINE: NEW YORK                          LENGTH:   35 lines

RICHMOND AD AGENCY SELECTED

The Timberland Co., the New England-based boot and outdoor apparel company, said Friday it has hired outside help to handle its advertising.

The size of the account awarded to The Martin Agency of Richmond, Va., was not disclosed.

Martin, whose clients include Wrangler jeans and Vanity Fair intimate apparel as well as Saab cars and Seiko watches, was selected over two other finalists that Timberland declined to name.

Timberland, based in Stratham, N.H., has been creating and placing its own advertising for more than two years.

But spokesman Roger Rydell said sales are growing and product development activities are running smoothly, and the company felt it could use help.

The first advertising from Martin for Timberland is expected for the fall season next year. Timberland expects to continue using advertising developed internally until next summer.

Rydell declined to provide any details on what the new advertising may look like but he said one objective is to encourage consumers to view its products as something that can be worn year round. Sales are currently skewed to the fall and winter months, he said.

Recent advertising has carried no unifying theme line, Rydell said, but has focused on individual product features.

Timberland designs, manufactures and markets boots, shoes, apparel and accessories for people to wear outdoors.

It earned $20 million last year on $690 million in revenue. Its sales for the first half of 1997 were up 17.2 percent from a year earlier.

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