LONDON (Brand Republic) - Leo Burnett will resign its £7m P&O Cruises account in March due to a potential client conflict with Walt Disney.
In a joint statement with P&O Cruises issued today, the agency said that an amicable and managed separation was the only appropriate solution.
The conflict has arisen because Disney is considering extending its cruise service in the US to Europe, which would then compete with P&O’s sister brand Princess Cruises.
Leo Burnett won the £31m Walt Disney UK advertising account for Disneyland in Florida and its pan-European account for Euro Disney last July, a month after it won the P&O work.
P&O appointed Leo Burnett eight months ago to raise its profile in the run-up to its flotation, following a pitch against McCann-Erickson, HHCL & Partners and Lowe Lintas, the incumbent since the early Nineties under its former title Ammirati Puris Lintas.
In the statement, Carol Marlow, P&O’s director of sales and marketing, said the company was already in discussions with its chosen potential replacement agencies. It is believed none of the agencies from last year’s pitch are included in the review.