Many of London’s finest spent the weeks before Christmas working on a pitch for the BBC account, latterly with Karmarama.
Why the BBC, with all its creative resources (and, by its own account, no money) needs an ad agency is something we might debate. On the Beeb’s flagship Today Programme this morning they were all-a-flutter as they’d discovered that the Conservative Party was spending £100,000 a month with Facebook. Maybe they were confusing the Tories with the Government.
But a desirable account it is, and presumably you get paid too.
Adland’s version of the City’s ‘boys in dark glasses’ are speculating that the corporation has narrowed its search to BBH, currently contemplating life as Tesco’s agency, and RKCR/Y&R.
Karmarama did a good job for the BBC (see this classy effort below) but either of these would suffice too. BBH has Tesco on its plate, of course, but has recently lost Johnnie Walker and the lead role on Axe (although it remains on the roster) along with Waitrose, which it resigned to take on Tesco.
RKCR/Y&R has laboured somewhat some Messrs Murphy, Golding and Priest went off to to form adam&eve (now adam&eveDDB). A&E won long-time client Virgin Atlantic from Y&R last year but declined to pitch for the Beeb – presumably on the grounds of exhaustion after a frenetic year. But Y&R is still a class act.
Update
And the winner is – RKCR/Y&R. The agency calls the Beeb the top creative account in the UK. Not sure about that, they’re just promos really. But Y&R beat a top line-up including AMV BBDO and Wieden+Kennedy as well as BBH.
