NI drops O&M from 4m Sunday Times business

News International has split from Ogilvy & Mather after less than a year. It has handed its 4m Sunday Times account to roster agency Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe, which already handles The Times account, worth 7m.

The move comes after a breakdown in NI’s relationship with O&M, which sources describe as a “culture clash” between the agency and client. O&M managing director Tom Bury says of the split: “It was an easy, if disappointing, decision to have to take.” Times Newspapers marketing director Toby Constantine says the move into one agency makes strategic and creative sense.

The fall-out is the latest of a string of problems. NI has had a difficult relationship with agencies over the past year.

In January, it reappointed its agency of seven years standing – Arc Advertising – to handle The Sunday Times. But two weeks later, it took the business away from the agency and moved it into O&M. The split was believed to originate in client conflicts at Arc, after the agency talked to the then newly-launched Sunday Business about handling its account. There were also arguments over remuneration.

The January switch was embarrassing for NI, which was accused by some of the pitching agencies of “amateurism” and of having “no respect for the advertising process” (MW January 12).