MindShare lands BP brief

BP Amoco is to hand its £124 million global media account to MindShare Worldwide, early next year.

The move is part of BP Amoco’s global centralisation of advertising and follows the appointment of sister WPP agency Ogilvy & Mather last month to handle creative. The oil company intends to create a single global brand out of the petrol chains BP, Amoco and Arco, which unveiled a £30 billion merger last year. UK media incumbent MediaCom TMB was not asked to repitch for the account.

“We’re progressively moving our ad business into the WPP Group and anticipate that MindShare will start doing media towards the end of the first quarter next year,” said a spokeswoman from BP Amoco. MindShare, headed by worldwide chief executive Dominic Procter, refused to comment.

It’s not clear how much of the global budget will be spent in the UK. According to ACNeilsen Media International, BP spent £5.1 million in the UK between January and October this year. MindShare’s hold over Shell in certain markets in Asia and the Americas, is expected to be resolved by the time the account is transferred.

Separately, MindShare will handle the media brief for Richard Branson’s National Lottery should the entrepreneur’s bid prove successful when Cam-elot’s contract expires in October 2001.

Fellow WPP agency J Walter Thompson is one of the partner companies in Branson’s bid for the Lottery. MindShare will also work on media prior to Branson’ submission at the end of February.

MindShare’s media strategy for the Branson lottery bid is being put together by Stef Clarke, ex-media controller at Halifax.

Mediapolis is the incumbent on Camelot’s £25 million media account. BMP OMD handles buying.