Y&R retains $60m UIP pan-European account

Young & Rubicam has held on to the $60m (40m) United International Pictures pan-European account, after a review lasting 15 months and culminating in a final pitch last week with SP Lintas.

UIP is a London-based joint venture between MGM, Paramount and Universal Pictures, and conducts the marketing of the three studios’ releases outside North America.

A UIP agreement specifies that advertising must be reviewed on a regular basis, and last May, the company drew up a pitchlist including Y&R, Lintas, EURO RSCG Wnek Gosper, Publicis, Ogilvy & Mather and DDB Needham. Y&R has been responsible for UIP advertising in Europe and most of Asia Pacific region for eight years.

It is believed that the delay to the final pitch was caused by disagreements between UIP’s three parent studios.

In the UK, UIP spent 9.6m (Register-MEAL) on advertising films in the 12 months to the end of June. Its latest release is the Tom Hanks vehicle Apollo 13, and the next big one will be the new James Bond movie, Goldeneye.