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Campbell Doyle Dye, formerly CDD Testa, has been confirmed as the

new agency for Mercedes-Benz's £10 million advertising account and

has secured the backing of Omnicom.

Following a series of strategic and creative credential presentations,

CDD's appointment to the Mercedes work brings an end to the five-year

relationship the car client has had in the UK with Partners BDDH.

The agency's arrangement with Omnicom will see Peter Mead, its

vice-chairman, "representing Omnicom's interests" at CDD. He will have

no official role but may be drawn on as a resource for pitches.

Mead said: "We are very pleased to have concluded our arrangements with

CDD. It is the most exciting new start-up of the past few years and the

Mercedes win gives it a flying start."

CDD was founded in the summer. Walter Campbell, Dave Dye, Sean Doyle and

Caspar Thykier all quit their posts at Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO to join

the former Lowe Lintas planning director, Alison Hoad, and the former

Leagas Delaney account director, Stefan Hohmann, at the start-up. The

deal with the Italian network Testa fell through in September. Hohmann,

however, will not be continuing with CDD.

Hoad, CDD's managing director, said: "To have Mercedes as our founding

client is the best possible start to the agency. You only have to look

at Nike's relationship with Wieden & Kennedy, Audi's with Bartle Bogle

Hegarty and the Health Education Council's with Saatchi & Saatchi to see

how launch accounts become embedded into the fabric of an agency and

often how they come to define that agency."

Simon Oldfield, the general manager, passenger cars marketing at

Mercedes UK, said: "I would like to pay tribute to the work, enthusiasm

and energy that Partners put into our business. But the time has come to

have a fresh look at our advertising requirements and CDD seems to be in

a perfect position to deliver what we are looking for."