British Airways calls review of global digital ad business

By James Swift, campaignlive.co.uk

British Airways is reviewing its global digital advertising account, putting OgilvyOne on alert

A spokeswoman for BA said: “We follow good procurement practices and it is standard for us to issue requests for proposal to ensure our business needs are met.”

OgilvyOne, the incumbent agency, said that it will repitch for the account.

The review coincides with the announcement that BA is splitting its marketing department to bring the unit closer to its commercial operations.

Andrew Crawley, the chief commercial officer, will become responsible for marketing, coinciding with the departure of Frank van der Post, the managing director for brand and customer experience. Abigail Comber, the head of marketing, will become the head of customer, and Sara Dunham, the head of retail, will become the head of marketing, retail and direct.

OgilvyOne landed the global digital advertising business in 2012. At the time, the win served to strengthen its relationship with the brand, which already worked with the WPP agency on customer engagement.

OgilvyOne lost the customer engagement account in 2014 after an all-encompassing creative pitch. Bartle Bogle Hegarty retained the advertising business and scooped the customer loyalty work by creating a dedicated CRM division in collaboration with the direct marketing specialists Simon Hall and Warren Moore.

In late 2013, OgilvyOne created BA’s “magic of flying” campaign. The billboard won the Direct Grand Prix at the 2014 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.