PHD has bowed to pressure from Yell to resign the planning account, which it had moved into the media department of its sister agency Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO in April in an effort to avoid client conflict.
The split was by 'mutual agreement' according to BT.
AMV had previously been forced to resign its £20m Yell advertising account, which it had held for 23 years, because of conflict with BT following the telecom group's move back into the directories business. Yell is believed to have asked PHD to choose between the two media accounts, leading to the move.
The deal was agreed between PHD and AMV as a way to keep both the BT and Yell businesses within the Omnicom network.
Part of the strategic media briefs for BT had already been awarded to Publicis Groupe agencies including Starcom and Zed Media, which had already been tasked with buying duties on the account.
A BT spokesman said: "It is true that the account will now enter a review process. We have made no firm decision about the future plans for the account, we have not decided where we go from here. The BT planning account will move in September."
The Publicis network is now expected to make a concerted effort to tie up the planning and buying business within BT.
Yell is currently pitching its £20m advertising account with a final agency list down to a shoot-out between Mother and Vallance Carruthers Coleman Priest.
Six agencies had originally pitched for the Yell account including the final two shortlisted agencies, United London, Wieden & Kennedy, Leagas Delaney and Miles Calcraft Briginshaw Duffy, which were knocked out of the running at an earlier stage.
If you have an opinion on this or any other issue raised on Brand Republic, join the debate in the .
_1.jpg)
.jpg)
