McCann secures £20m CGNU job

CGNU, the financial services giant formed by the merger of CGU and Norwich Union, has handed its combined £20m advertising account to McCann-Erickson.

The agency, which already works for CGU, beat BMP DDB and Norwich Union’s incumbent Mustoe Merriman Herring Levy to the business. No one at McCann would comment on the win.

As a result of the merger, the CGU brand is likely to be axed, with Norwich Union branding being used across all products.

McCann first won the estimated £14m CGU account in May last year, following the merger of Commercial Union and General Accident.

Mustoe Merriman was appointed to the Norwich Union account worth about £9m in December last year, after the company axed Saatchi & Saatchi (MW October 7 1999). It had only held the brief for two months when the two financial services companies announced their intention to merge, creating a business worth more than £20bn.

The combined financial services giant is also in the process of reviewing its media account.

CIA Medianetwork, which handles CGU, and MBS Media, which buys media for Norwich Union, are likely to pitch for the work, although Universal McCann and Optimedia also work on some CGU brands.

The result of the media pitch is expected in the next two weeks.