The Aegis-owned agency scooped the media planning and buying account for frozen foods firm Birds Eye on Thursday after a three-way pitch against incumbent MindShare and Publicis agency Starcom.
Carat's managing director Neil Jones said he was thrilled to be taking on the business after a drawn-out review that kicked off in May.
Birds Eye renewed its media planning and buying contract with MindShare in December last year, before putting the business out to pitch just six months into its new arrangement with the WPP-agency.
Carat has signed a further two-year contract with Abbey, which includes an expected 拢3m in additional billings as Abbey and its owner Santander Group look to introduce new products and services in the next two years. In 2006, Abbey, including its internet bank Cahoot, spent 拢28m across internet, outdoor, press, direct marketing, radio and TV, according to Nielsen Media Research.
Abbey launched an internal review in March after signing a one-year contract with Carat in October 2005, after Banco Santander acquired the bank for 拢8bn in 2004.
After winning the traditional media brief, Carat picked up Abbey's digital contract from MindShare Interaction in January 2006. Abbey used Carat for more than a decade before the account moved to MindShare in 2003.
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