Publicis retains 100m HP below-the-line account

Publicis has retained computer giant HP’s $200m (£100m) below-the-line account across Europe and the Middle East, after a six-way pitch. The account includes HP’s below-the-line advertising in over 70 countries.

The pitch, which started in December last year, included Omnicom’s Proximity, WPP’s Wunderman and Interpublic’s DraftFCB.

Publicis appointed ex-Visa marketer Karen Hughes to head up its European regional HP account last autumn. The agency has a 12-year relationship with HP and is understood to have won the account by presenting a new approach to aligning network resources to the computer giant’s needs.

Onimcom Group-owned BBDO won the £200m global advertising account for HP’s imaging and printing products from Publicis two weeks ago.

HP was formed in 1939 and its first service was to make sound equipment used by Disney in early films. In 2002 it merged with Compaq and it bought online photo services company Snapfish in 2005.