Vodafone shifts global strategic brief to WPP

Fri, 13 Mar 2009

Vodafone, the mobile phone company, has shifted its global strategic advertising business back into WPP following a three way pitch against McCann Erickson and incumbent Bogle Bartle Hegarty, Marketing Week has learned.

WPP group’s J Walter Thompson had previously lost the strategic corporate account to BBH following a review in 2006, although the agency held on to the product brief.

Marketing Week understands WPP’s Team Vodafone will take-on the brief, however the details are unclear at this stage. BBH has retained the strategic account for Vodafone UK.

Vodafone recently awarded Carat its £70m media planning and buying business after a final two-way pitch against incumbent OMD and recently dropped its sponsorship of the England and Wales Cricket Board after 12 years.

It reported in February a 14.3% increase in revenues for the fourth quarter of 2008, due to the weaker pound making overseas sales more valuable. The company reported revenue of £10.47bn for the last three months of 2008, up 14.3% on the same period last year.