JWT wins £23m AXA UK account
AXA UK has awarded its advertising business to J Walter Thompson (JWT) as tipped in Marketing Week (MW May 15) and plans to double its advertising spend from £12m to £23m as part of its plan to unify its brands under the single AXA name.
The agency pitched against BMP DDB, Publicis and WFCA Integrated and incumbent agencies TBWA/London and HHM. The review was overseen by AXA UK’s head of brand Darrin Nightingale, who was advised on the pitch by the Incorporated Society of British Advertisers.
In the UK, AXA owns AXA PPP Healthcare, AXA Sun Life and AXA Insurance. It plans to phase out the PPP branding as consumer awareness of AXA grows. Pensions and savings company AXA Sun Life is being rebranded as AXA Life.
TBWA/London created a television campaign for the company last year to promote the single brand. In April, TBWA/London won the £18m creative account for rival financial services company Abbey National (MW April 10).
Insiders are tipping AXA’s media planning and buying business, which is with OMD UK, to be reviewed next, though AXA claims it has no immediate plans to do this.
