AXA UK puts umbrella account out to tender

AXA UK is putting its &£10m advertising account handled by TBWA/London up for pitch.

AXA is the world’s second-largest insurance company behind ING, but the AXA advertising does not reflect its size. It has three core businesses: AXA Sun Life, AXA Insurance and AXA PPP Healthcare.

The sucessful agency will create advertising for all AXA brands.

The notice period for TBWA/London’s contract expires this spring and AXA will spend the coming weeks drawing up a brief. The pitch is also likely to include below-the-line work.

It is the second time that TBWA/ London has been given notice on AXA’s advertising. Last May, it was reappointed to handle AXA’s advertising business, after developing a strategy to align the AXA brands under a single campaign idea (MW May 16, 2002).

A week prior to TBWA/London’s appointment, former PPP Healthcare marketing director Darrin Nightingale was moved to the new role of head of brand for AXA UK.

He has since taken steps to refocus AXA’s brand strategy by re-aligning the financial company’s branding activity to focus less on sponsorship and more on brand strategy, advertising, and brand identity (MW November 21, 2002). Nightingale is leading the pitch.

AXA says the review does not affect the relationships its subsidiaries, such as its direct marketing arm AXA Sun Life Direct, already have in place with their agencies.