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ONdigital, formerly known as British Digital Broadcasting, has

handed its pounds 40 million launch advertising to BMP DDB following an

acrimonious split with its incumbent agency, Abbott Mead Vickers

BBDO.

AMV resigned the account two weeks ago when ONdigital started speaking

to BMP, the runner-up in the original pitch, and at least one other

agency about the business. It is understood that ONdigital had rejected

all AMV’s creative proposals.

Marc Sands, ONdigital’s director of brand marketing, said: ’We were very

impressed with the creative solution from BMP. The team demonstrated a

deep understanding of our brand and the ability to launch a very

creative campaign in the new digital age. We are on course for our

autumn launch. We are sorry to have parted with AMV but were unable to

agree a final creative route.’

Ross Barr, the joint managing director of BMP, added: ’We are thrilled

to be working with such a new and exciting company in such a quickly

developing market.’

Andrew Robertson, Abbott Mead’s managing director, was unavailable to

comment as ±±¾©Èü³µpk10 went to press. However, in an internal memo leaked

to ±±¾©Èü³µpk10, Robertson refuted suggestions that the agency had been

fired.

It says: ’Two weeks ago I wrote to BDB and resigned the business. This

is not something we do often and not something we do lightly. We have

been working with BDB for six months. It was always going to be

difficult but it has been more difficult than we thought it would

be.’

ONdigital’s relationship with New PHD, its media planning and buying

agency, is unaffected.

Clarke Hooper, AMV’s below-the-line subsidiary, has also parted company

with ONdigital. Sands said the company was close to appointing an agency

to handle issues such as point-of-sale.