McCann-Erickson lands 10m global ABB brief

Swiss engineering and power giant ABB has hired McCann-Erickson to handle its estimated 10m global corporate account.

But neither ABB, which was formally known as Asea Brown Boveri, nor McCann will confirm the win.

It is understood an announcement has been delayed because ABB is drawing up a series of other company changes, which are not yet in place.

The company is preparing to expand in the UK, through both acquisition and organic growth. ABB is believed to have targeted the deregulated power market for future growth.

The advertising account was previously held by GGT. McCann won the business after a four-way pitch that included GGT, GGK Zurich and Ogilvy & Mather.

The company was created by the merger of Swedish organisation Asea and the Swiss-owned Brown Boveri in 1988 and has run a series of corporate campaigns since.

“We have not made an announcement and will not for several weeks,” says an ABB spokesman. “We will talk about the programme and the campaign then – but not before.”

ABB returned annual profits of 2.11bn on turnover of 34bn last year.