Salvati Montgomery Sakoda Gets Yamaha Music Account

Yamaha Corp. of America has chosen a new advertising agency to promote its Disklavier electronic player piano and other keyboard products.

The company chose Costa Mesa’s Salvati Montgomery Sakoda agency to handle the keyboard division account, estimated by AdWeek magazine to be worth $2.5 million a year.

The Yamaha account, now held by LinkFreeman in Chicago, had been in review for about two months, said Dan Pittman, a spokesman for Salvati Montgomery Sakoda. Among those competing was dGWB of Irvine.

In a last-minute change, Yamaha piggybacked its synthesizers and guitars division onto the keyboard account and also awarded that business to Salvati Montgomery Sakoda. The synthesizers and guitars account had been with dGWB for six years.

“As far as we knew, this account was happily ensconced” at dGWB, Pittman said. “I think Yamaha may have been looking at economies” in combining the two accounts.

Officials at dGWB had no comment, and Yamaha officials could not be reached.

The keyboard division’s new marketing strategy, Pittman said, will emphasize greater dealer support.

Salvati Montgomery Sakoda had handled Yamaha’s electronic keyboard division account for four years ending in 1990. At that time, Yamaha merged its piano and electronic keyboard units and chose LinkFreeman to handle both.

Salvati Montgomery Sakoda, which employs 54 people and reports annual billings of $39 million, handles two other accounts for Yamaha: electronics, including home audio and video equipment, and golf cars.

Yamaha Corp. of America is a subsidiary of Japan’s Yamaha Corp. Most of its U.S. operations are based in Buena Park.