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HHCL & Partners has resigned the Bacardi-Martini Martini account,

worth pounds 2 million, after a disagreement over the future of the

brand's advertising.

The split comes six years after HHCL won the business from

McCann-Erickson, which had held the account for more than 25 years.

HHCL's campaigns ranged from the famous 'beautiful people' ads to the

most recent work, which featured happy, young people jumping off a pier,

in an bid to highlight the freshness of the drink.

HHCL will continue to work on Bacardi's Metz brand, for which it

developed the 'Judderman' campaign, and will work with the company on

its new product development scheme. McCann retains the Bacardi rum and

Bacardi Breezer accounts, and is not expected to be involved in the

pitch for the main Martini business.

Bacardi-Martini is conducting the agency search through ISBA, which is

in the process of drawing up a shortlist.

Ian Priest, the managing director of HHCL, said: 'We have agreed to that

it's best to play to HHCL's core strengths which are relaunching and

launching brands.

'Martini is now entering a consolidation phase and is seeking an agency

to meet this remit with their advertising. We wish them the best of luck

and look forward to strengthening our relationship on other areas of the

Bacardi-Martini business.'

Martini has struggled to regain its glamorous image since the 1970s.

HHCL's first ads for the brand in 1995 relaunched it as a 'beautiful

drink for beautiful people', and the agency attempted to update its

beautiful theme with ads in 1997 regressing to the 1970s glamour theme.