O2 opens review of CRM brief held by Lida since 2011

Mobile giant O2 has put the frighteners up the new M&C Saatchi “dream team” of CEO Camilla Kemp and chief creative officer Ben Golik by launching a review of its CRM account, held by Lida for nine years.

The move comes weeks after the 20-year-old Lida brand was axed and merged into the main UK ad agency. The agency’s US and Australian offices remain unaffected. Lida first won the O2 business in 2011.

The review, which is being handled by AAR, could be do or die for the new team, who were appointed following a torrid period for both Lida and the main UK agency, which is in the midst of an accounting scandal.

Last year, M&C lost its signature NatWest ad business, as well as chief executive Giles Hedger, chief creative officer Justin Tindall and a number of other senior executives.

This followed a disastrous period for Lida, which lost both the Boots Advantage Card and the Ikea Family loyalty club businesses as well as CEO Victoria Fox and chairman Matthew Heath.

Group CEO Moray MacLennan has insisted the agency will emerge stronger.

An O2 spokesperson said: “We regularly review our agency partners. We are currently reviewing our agency partnership in this area and we have shared this information with Lida. We thank them for their continued support during this time.”

VCCP has handled advertising since 2002 and will no doubt be sniffing round the CRM account, especially as VCCP Me has run certain elements of the business in the past. This month the agency launched the latest instalment of O2’s England rugby sponsorship campaign “Wear the rose”, for the Six Nations.