CHI set to clinch £30m British Gas creative brief

Centrica-owned British Gas is strongly tipped to hand its &£30m advertising account to Clemmow Hornby Inge (CHI), prising BMP DDB away from its 12-year tenure of the business.

The energy company shortlisted BMP DDB, WCRS, CHI and M&C Saatchi to pitch for its advertising business. It is believed that the final round was between CHI and M&C Saatchi.

The review was led by the Haystack Group and overseen by Centrica group marketing director Simon Waugh and British Gas director of marketing and strategy Nick Smith.

CHI’s brief will be to come up with a campaign that helps to deliver better customer retention across British Gas’ products, which includes British Gas Telecoms.

Last month, BT added CHI and Fallon to its roster of creative agencies, despite the former’s existing relationship with mobile phone retailer Carphone Warehouse – which has recently entered the fixed-line telephony sector (MW April 3). BT’s creative roster also includes Abbott Mead Vickers.BBDO and St Luke’s.

Last year, British Gas consolidated its media planning and buying into Carat. The agency triumphed after a four-way battle that pitched incumbents Carat and OMD UK against MindShare and Zenith Media (MW May 30, 2002). Centrica owns the British Gas, AA, Goldfish and One.Tel brands.