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Young & Rubicam is preparing an umbrella branding campaign for Ford

after ousting Ogilvy & Mather from its position as lead agency across

Europe this week.

The work will promote a modern, progressive image for Ford, which Y&R

will underline with its campaign for Ford’s lead car, the Focus,

launching in September.

Ford conducted a wholesale realignment of its pounds 200 million

European advertising this week, and switched to a brand-by-brand

strategy from its previous country-by-country approach.

As a result, Y&R has followed last week’s pan-European Ford Focus win by

picking up the Ka, Fiesta, Explorer, Windstar and corporate branding

work. The accounts won in the past two weeks are together estimated to

carry billings of pounds 100 million across Europe and pounds 25 million

in the UK.

These assignments go with Y&R’s other Ford business, which includes the

Galaxy, Cougar, Puma and Lincoln.

O&M keeps the Ford Dealerships account - worth pounds 13 million in the

UK - the Mondeo, which spent pounds 11 million in the UK last year, and

the Escort, which is being phased out by 2000 but is currently worth

pounds 13 million in the UK, according to MMS. Y&R loses out in Germany

- the only country where it had been the lead agency - where it will

relinquish the Mondeo task.

Kevin King, the account managing director on Ford of Europe at Y&R,

said: ’We are relishing the challenge of repeating for Ford’s volume

brands the successes we’ve had in developing pan-European advertising

for the Galaxy and Puma.’

Senior O&M bosses maintained a stony silence in the wake of the

loss.

Although no junior or middle-management changes are expected immediately

- and few are anticipated before the official handover in January -

headhunters’ phone lines were said to be red-hot on Tuesday afternoon

after staff were told of Ford’s decision.

Ford’s media buying business remains centralised across Europe at

MindShare, O&M’s WPP-owned sister.

Philippe Mellier, Ford of Europe vice-president of marketing, sales and

service, said: ’This is a major step for Ford. We are simplifying and

clarifying the roles and responsibilities of our advertising agencies,

which will give our customers a consistent message about our

products.’

Full story, p2.