The bank has already approached several agencies regarding the brief for a pitch, which is being managed by the AAR; a result is expected later this month.
It is understood that the winning agency will be tasked with building on parent brand Banco Santander's association with Formula One team Vodafone McLaren Mercedes and its star driver Lewis Hamilton.
The team agreed a five-year deal with Santander in November 2006, and the bank has run campaigns featuring Hamilton in the UK and former team-mate Fernando Alonso in Spain. Although Vodafone McLaren Mercedes is officially sponsored by the Santander brand, Hamilton has also appeared in several UK ads for the company under its Abbey branding.
In October, Abbey, which was acquired by Spanish bank Santander in November 2004, supported the launch of a TV ad featuring a rabbit searching for food, with an in-store point-of-sale campaign created by its incumbent promotional marketing agency, Woo. It also produced an online drive, which ran alongside the in-store work.
Abbey's direct marketing is handled by Tequila\London, while its advertising account is managed by WCRS. Media agency Carat holds the bank's media planning and buying account.
Last year, Abbey used Hamilton to promote a charity partnership with Great Ormond Street Hospital, which was pushed across Abbey's high-street branches nationwide.
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