Simons Palmer wins 2m Ocean

Ocean Spray, the cranberry juice drink which employs the Duchess of York in its US ads, has appointed TBWA Simons Palmer to its 2m UK account.

Simons Palmer won the business after a pitch against Abbott Mead Vickers.BBDO. M&C Saatchi and a division of Grey called Creative Strategies were eliminated at an earlier stage. The original pitch list was drawn up with the help of the Incorporated Society of British Advertisers.

The media account is handled by BBJ Media Services and is unaffected by the review.

The advertising was previously handled by Delaney Fletcher Bozell.

The Ocean Spray brand is worth about 15m in the UK and 1bn in the US. UK distribution is mainly through supermarkets in one litre packs. Distribution rights for the brand were acquired earlier this year by Gerber Foods from Just Juice, the soft drinks division of RHM.

Peter Bracegirdle, account director at Simons Palmer, says there are no plans to use the Duchess of York in UK ads, but adds: “Our aim is to make it a famous mainstream brand. The move to Gerber foods is likely to trigger a more rigorous approach to the marketing.”