Uncommon Creative Studio has plucked the British Airways advertising and CRM account from WPP in a major coup for its recently launched data-driven marketing division, the Uncommon CX Practice, which only officially opened for business two months ago.
WPP has handled the integrated creative, media, social and paid-search account since 2017, spearheaded by Wavemaker and Ogilvy.
The CRM account, including the BA Executive Club, is one of the most prized pieces of business in the data-driven marketing industry.
It was handled by OgilvyOne from 2008 until 2014, when it switched to a joint venture between BBH – which at the time handled the creative account – and DM veterans Simon Hall and Warren Moore.
At the time, BBH hailed the venture as the model of the future; three years later, however, the account was back at Ogilvy.
Now BA’s loyalty business will move to Uncommon CX, led by former Lida chief executive Jonathan Goodman. The division was only launched in August, and offers a raft of services, from designing data-led customer experience to creating digital products and services, and the development of new CX-led brands.
The ad brief will be handled by the main agency, launched in 2017 by three former Grey executives – Nils Leonard, Lucy Jameson and Natalie Graeme – “for a time when the world hates ads”.
BA director of brand and customer experience Tom Stevens said: “Uncommon is a highly talented, independent agency that impressed us with a strong differentiated creative proposal. At British Airways we always seek out the very best agencies to work with.
“I’d like to thank WPP for the great partnership over the last few years and we are now looking forward to a bright new chapter.”
Uncommon’s Natalie Graeme said: “British Airways is an iconic global brand – one that represents and champions British originality at its finest. Connecting Britain with the world and the world with Britain has never felt more welcome and more challenging as travel resumes.
“This offers such an exciting opportunity for the studio to help reignite BA’s purpose across every touchpoint of the business from design, brand, comms, and our newly formed CX practice.”
BA owner International Airlines Group is running a separate pitch for its group media account; Omnicom and Havas are set to battle that one out.
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