The agency has picked up the business without a formal pitch. Instead it capitalised on its Interpublic ownership (the US holding company has a 21 per cent stake in the agency), and the deterioration in the relationship between Lowe and Burger King.
The burger chain's relations with Lowe began to show cracks when it moved the US account out of Lowe into its IPG sister agency McCann-Erickson in January 2001. Since then the UK operation called a review, shortlisting three agencies including DLKW, before deciding to remain with Lowe in the UK.
DLKW's win, a year later, comes after another reshuffle in the US, with the IPG media company Media First picking up the buying business from MediaVest and Deutsch Los Angeles taking the region's creative account off D'Arcy.
Lowe's most recent UK work featured the "OK BK strapline and focused on the quality of Burger King's products rather than its price point.
Lowe's managing director, Jeremy Bowles, said that the agency had believed building a brand for the company as it competed against McDonald's was an important part of its challenger strategy. "We believe in rebuilding the brand's credentials rather than focusing too heavily on a promotional strategy. Our ambitions were different in this case," he said.
It is thought that Burger King, which is being sold by its parent company, Diageo, will seek to roll out its recently developed US "You got it ads in the UK, with DLKW working on adaptations to suit the market.
Burger King's marketing director for the UK and Eire, Philip Almond, said: "We are pleased to be joined by DLKW in a new journey of constant product development, a focus on improved relations and edgy, innovative marketing."
The chairman of DLKW, Greg Delaney, said: "Burger King is a very exciting and popular challenger brand in the UK. We are looking forward to making an impact in the marketplace with fresh and relevant advertising."
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