DIRECT NEWS: Barraclough Hall wins contest for Bupa task

Barraclough Hall Woolston Gray has triumphed in the

winner-takes-all contest to handle all of Bupa’s direct marketing.

The agency pitched against WWAV Rapp Collins and Wunderman Cato Johnson

- the latter the incumbent on Bupa’s customer retention business - for

the task. The review was brought about by the recent termination by the

private healthcare company of its six-year relationship with Ogilvy &

Mather and its direct marketing agency, OgilvyOne (Campaign, 27

November).

Bupa has recently undergone an extensive internal restructure. It has a

new chief executive, Val Gooding, and marketing director, Pat Stafford,

and five business units have been created.

BHWG will concentrate on producing direct marketing for three of the

units: membership, hospitals and screening, and care services.

Elaine Greenwood, Bupa’s membership marketing director, said:

’Centralising the customer acquisition and customer retention parts of

the business into one agency was entirely deliberate. There will still

be a clear above-the-line advertising programme for the brand but the

individual business units need a very clear and consistent

below-the-line strategy. BHWG has a very good reputation for creativity

and looking at the strategic elements that are needed in a brief such as

this.’

Simon Hall, the chief executive of BHWG, said: ’BHWG is delighted to be

appointed to work on one of the world’s most famous healthcare brands.

We’ve always taken pride in how effective we can be and the positive

contribution we can make to a client’s bottom line.’

The centralisation into BHWG ends Bupa’s 16-month relationship with WCJ.

The agency’s managing director, Richard Bagnall-Smith, said: ’The new

client team wanted its own new set of agencies. It’s annoying but there

isn’t much you can do about it. However, the account has been on hold

for more than a year, so it won’t affect us materially.’

The search for both an above-the-line ad agency and a media agency is

still in progress. Bupa this week whittled its creative agency shortlist

down to four: Duckworth Finn Grubb Waters, HHCL & Partners, Leagas

Delaney and WCRS.

On the media front, MindShare lost the business, which it had held

through O&M’s former media operation, the Network.

This article was first published on Campaign