Barraclough Hall Woolston Gray has triumphed in the
winner-takes-all contest to handle all of Bupa’s direct marketing.
The agency pitched against WWAV Rapp Collins and Wunderman Cato Johnson
- the latter the incumbent on Bupa’s customer retention business - for
the task. The review was brought about by the recent termination by the
private healthcare company of its six-year relationship with Ogilvy &
Mather and its direct marketing agency, OgilvyOne (Campaign, 27
November).
Bupa has recently undergone an extensive internal restructure. It has a
new chief executive, Val Gooding, and marketing director, Pat Stafford,
and five business units have been created.
BHWG will concentrate on producing direct marketing for three of the
units: membership, hospitals and screening, and care services.
Elaine Greenwood, Bupa’s membership marketing director, said:
’Centralising the customer acquisition and customer retention parts of
the business into one agency was entirely deliberate. There will still
be a clear above-the-line advertising programme for the brand but the
individual business units need a very clear and consistent
below-the-line strategy. BHWG has a very good reputation for creativity
and looking at the strategic elements that are needed in a brief such as
this.’
Simon Hall, the chief executive of BHWG, said: ’BHWG is delighted to be
appointed to work on one of the world’s most famous healthcare brands.
We’ve always taken pride in how effective we can be and the positive
contribution we can make to a client’s bottom line.’
The centralisation into BHWG ends Bupa’s 16-month relationship with WCJ.
The agency’s managing director, Richard Bagnall-Smith, said: ’The new
client team wanted its own new set of agencies. It’s annoying but there
isn’t much you can do about it. However, the account has been on hold
for more than a year, so it won’t affect us materially.’
The search for both an above-the-line ad agency and a media agency is
still in progress. Bupa this week whittled its creative agency shortlist
down to four: Duckworth Finn Grubb Waters, HHCL & Partners, Leagas
Delaney and WCRS.
On the media front, MindShare lost the business, which it had held
through O&M’s former media operation, the Network.
