AMV BBDO has won Facebook portal in the UK, Facebook Reality Labs’ smart video calling product. The account has moved from Omnicom sibling TBWA, which reportedly declined to repitch which seems a bit odd. TBWA, though, handles deadly rival Apple.
It’s good news for AMV which has been losing accounts as rapidly as it’s garnered awards for its #WombStories campaigns. AMV was the Cannes Lions Agency of the Festival at this year’s virtual event. AMV has lost BT, Walkers, Quaker and Virgin Atlantic and CEO Sarah Douglas. Sam Hawkey from Saatchi & Saatchi takes over in the autumn.
Facebook Reality Labs head of international marketing Aaron Hoffman says: “The AMV BBDO team really impressed us with their strategic thinking and the pace at which they tuned into the opportunities ahead.”
Working with a tech giant isn’t necessarily comfortable – they tend to use a mix of inside and outside resource and swap horses quite often – but it’s a significant win for AMV, for decades the UK’s biggest creative agency by billings.
