BSkyB to shift £75m ad task to WPP 'Team Sky'

by Claire Murphy Marketing 17-Oct-06, 08:30

LONDON - WPP is believed to be creating a 'Team Sky' arrangement to house the £75m BSkyB advertising account, which is currently held by its United London agency.

The deal would mirror the intra-agency team the group put together for HSBC, which is led by JWT head of Europe Tony Hoare.

The deal reflects the strength of the ties between BSkyB chief executive James Murdoch and WPP chief executive Sir Martin Sorrell; the latter has been striving to assemble a WPP team for Murdoch that will also satisfy BSkyB brand marketing and sales director Charles Ponsonby and chief marketing officer Jon Florsheim.

Sources close to the deal suggest that Grey London chief executive Tamara Ingram's strong relationship with Procter & Gamble has proved key to negotiations. Sorrell is confident Ingram can apply the same kind of account management skills to BSkyB.

Sorrell's plan may involve switching key account personnel to Grey to form a "Team Sky". Ponsonby and Florsheim are known to value the contribution of United London deputy managing director Rhona Cairns, although it is not yet clear whether she has agreed to move with the business.

United, in its former guise as HHCL/Red Cell, masterminded the relaunch of Sky in 2004 under the slogan "What do you want to watch?"

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