AMV beats off two in English Heritage pitch

Abbott Mead Vickers.BBDO has won the English Heritage account following a three-way pitch against McCann-Erickson and Banks Hoggins O’Shea.

AMV.BBDO is the first agency to be appointed by English Heritage since the conservation agency split with Harari Page last year (MW September 27 1996).

English Heritage appointed Harari Page as an interim agency after ending its nine-month relationship with Leagas Delaney.

The split with Leagas Delaney is understood to have arisen from differences between the agency and English Heritage’s chairman Jocelyn Stevens.

Stevens is well known for his abrasive manner, although the closure of the account, worth 500,000 at Leagas Delaney, was referred to only as a “mutual agreement”.

Last year, English Heritage spent 208,000 on advertising, using the strapline “England’s heritage is yours – enjoy it”. The account is understood to be worth considerably more to AMV.BBDO, though a spokeswoman for English Heritage refuses to disclose its value.