CWC awards 50m task to BBJ

Cable & Wireless Communications has handed its 50m media planning and buying account to BBJ Media.

CWC called a review of the account in January, shortly after the launch of its 50m brand advertising campaign.

BBJ pitched against Media Business, MediaVest and MindShare to win the account.

The incumbent media team was Media Business, which handled buying, and Michaelides & Bednash, which ran strategic planning. It is understood Michaelides & Bednash did not repitch.

A panel of CWC executives – including customer director, consumer, Janet Somerville; director of business support Luke Broom; and head of corporate communications Roy Payne – made the appoint ment in the absence of a marketing director.

The “yellow” brand advertising campaign, which broke in September 1997, was masterminded by the then marketing director Ruth Blakemore who quit the job after only four months.

Blakemore’s deputy, Helen Burt, then took over, only to walk out in March this year.

Burt quit just before the central marketing and consumer business divisions merged, with the loss of 45 jobs. Almost all the redundancies came from central marketing, which controlled brand advertising.

The company is expected to announce the appointment of a new marketing director imminently.

Last month CWC appointed Grey Integrated and Black Cat to its 40m below-the-line consumer and business accounts.