The agency was appointed following a competitive pitch against a number of unnamed agencies.
Band & Brown will take on responsibility for development and implementation of a consumer brand PR strategy and will join Abbey National's other recent appointments -- TBWA\London for advertising; and MindShare and Naked Communications for media buying.
Band & Brown will also work closely with Wolff Olins, which has been developing the Abbey National brand strategy since December 2002.
In February 2003, Abbey National announced its intention to transform the financial sector by focusing solely on personal financial services in the UK, offering the full range of services through direct and intermediary channels.
Angus Porter, director of customer propositions at Abbey National, said: "Financial services communication is changing rapidly. The model of shouting loudly, trying desperately to be heard by consumers in a noisy competitive marketplace is outdated and inefficient. A new approach is needed in keeping with our new strategy. The appointment of Band & Brown is the final piece in completing a winning team that can really deliver the goods."
The appointment cements a three-year relationship with Abbey National. Band & Brown, which is the UK's 11th largest PR agency with combined income of 拢8m, has previously worked on a range of brand-building PR initiatives that echo the "because life's complicated enough" ad campaign.
Gill Brown, managing director of Band & Brown, said: "We are delighted to continue to work with a major brand such as Abbey National at this pivotal point in its development."
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