OGILVYONE
Customer agency, owned by WPP
You’ve got to feel for Jo Coombs. After helping the agency deliver market-leading results as managing partner and then managing director, she finally got the top job as Ogilvyone was going through a more difficult patch. That said, Ogilvyone’s tough period6s
have a lot more highs than those of other agencies. Coombs replaced Sam Williams-thomas, who was appointed chief executive of Ogilvyone Business – and now reports to Coombs – in May.
In August, Ogilvyone’s biggest client, BT, called a review following its £12.5bn purchase of EE. Ogilvyone exited the process in November and the telecoms giant appointed sister shop Wunderman in February 2017. Happily for Ogilvyone, WPP’S victory in the Walgreens Boots Alliance (not so) secret global pitch means the agency picked up a whopping great piece of business to fill the hole in late January. The Boots loyalty brief, handled by Lida since 2008, is a major and prestigious account and will have given the team a huge lift. As will adding Vodafone this week.
BT was the second acutely painful loss in recent years. But there was better news from the other prodigal client as British Airways reappointed Ogilvyone to work on social media in September after severing the last tie in 2015. As the School Reports went to press, Ogilvy & Mather Group was still involved in BA parent International Airlines Group’s ad and CRM review and so the possibility of a full reconciliation is still alive. Meanwhile, work highlights included a Goggleboxstyle online series, “Smart Street”, for British Gas, which was among Campaign’s top ten customer engagement ads last year.
At the time of Coombs’ elevation, Charlie Wilson was promoted to chairman following the appointment of his partner, Emma de la Fosse, as Ogilvy & Mather 6 Group chief creative officer in April. The newly emboldened top team will be hoping that Boots and BA are a better indicator of the year ahead than BT. You’d be silly to bet against them.