TBWA and Wonderbra part after strategy row

TBWA/Simons Palmer has parted company with its high-profile Wonderbra account three months after its former creative director Trevor Beattie, the man who claims credit for the campaign, left the agency for GGT.

Wonderbra is the eighth client to leave the agency since its was formed after the merger of TBWA and Simon’s Palmer Clemmow Johnson four months ago.

The Wonderbra account is probably the best known piece of business at the agency. The series of poster and press ads featuring model Eva Herzigova with suggestive straplines led to a massive sales increase for the bra and also made Beattie’s name as creative director on the account. Despite the high profile nature of the business, it is understood to be worth only 500,000 in the UK.

The agency says it resigned the business last week after its creative work for the next campaign was turned down for the third time by Playtex’ headquarters in Rome.

Wonderbra was first brought into TBWA in 1993 with a brief to “revolutionise” the 30-year-old brand after Sara Lee switched the Wonderbra licence from Gossard to Playtex in 1991.

Playtex is also understood to be moving the Europe-wide advertising for its Affinity brand out of Saatchi & Saatchi and into EURO RSCG.

Anglian Water has also announced its plans this week to join the growing list of ex-clients – it is moving its advertising to Cogent – which include Pretty Polly, Debenhams and Wrigley’s.

In a separate move, Andrew Ward, a senior account director at TBWA/ Simons Palmer, has left the agency.

News Analysis, page 2