Amazon Agency Quits

FCB San Francisco said it has resigned from the Amazon.com advertising account, citing fundamental disagreements with the online retailer. FCB, a unit of Chicago-based True North Communications Inc., has been the ad agency for Seattle-based Amazon.com since April 1997. A spokeswoman for FCB San Francisco declined to comment on a value of the account, but an industry source estimated Amazon spent about $30 million in 2000. Amazon said it’s conducting a review to search for one global ad agency that can bring global branding and bring local market expertise in various countries. True North stock fell 31 cents to close at $36.50 on the NYSE, while Amazon.com fell $2.25 to close at $21.38 on Nasdaq.