Passport Service appoints AMV.BBDO

The Identity and Passport Services (IPS) has appointed Abbott Mead Vickers.BBDO as its long term strategic advertising agency.

The agency will work across the entire IPS remit, including ID cards, passports and the General Register Office (GRO). It will develop activity for passport applications and renewals; the roll out of the identity cards programme under the National Identity Service and services provided by the GRO relating to ancestry.

AMV.BBDO pitched against CHI& Partners and Vallance Carruthers Coleman Priest for the business. The pitch was organised by the COI.
The IPS was created as an executive agency of the Home Office by joining the UK Passport Service and the Home Office’s identity cards programme two years ago.
The IPS has just appointed Alan Gilmour as director of marketing and customer insight. He is a former head of marketing for Lloyds TSB.

IPS chief executive James Hall says: “IPS needs an agency to support the development of a creative strategy and some excellent long-term strategic thinking. We are delighted to welcome them on board.”

The COI recently recruited Mark Lund as its new chief executive to replace Alan Bishop.