LONDON (Brand Republic) 鈥 McCann-Erickson Worldwide has won the $400m (£265m) Burger King creative advertising account for its adult market in the US.
Led by Interpublic Group of Companies-owned agency鈥檚 New York office, McCann won the business following a three-way pitch against Grey Worldwide, New York, and Minneapolis-based Campbell Mithun Esty.
The review began last September and, in November, Burger King eliminated Lowe Lintas & Partners Worldwide, the seven-year incumbent and sister Interpublic agency to McCann, from its US shortlist.
Stefan Bomhard, senior vice-president marketing for Burger King North America, said it had been looking for an agency partner with strategic consumer insights. 鈥淚t was the positive consumer reaction to the McCann work that won the account,鈥 he said.
The announcement of the account comes in the same week as the departure of Lee Garfinkel, who was chief executive and chief creative officer at Lowe Lintas.
So far there has been no decision made yet on children鈥檚 advertising account in the US, but it is likely that Burger King will once again consider all four agencies for the work.
Aside from Grey Worldwide in New York, part of the Grey Global Group, Interpublic owns all agencies in the running for the business,
In November, the burger chain revealed the UK element of its multimillion-dollar global promotional link with the children鈥檚 film Rugrats in Paris 鈥 the Movie. The campaign, running across all 645 UK restaurants ahead of the movie鈥檚 release in April, offers kids a range of toys when they buy a children鈥檚 meal. The promotion was also rolled out in the US during the same month, as well as in 29 other global markets.
In September, a spokeswoman denied that Burger King would be reviewing its UK advertising arrangements after putting the US business to pitch. Speaking from Miami, she said the decision would not affect advertising arrangements in the UK, which will continue to be handled by Lowe Lintas, or in Canada and Australia.
Last May, Lowe Lintas effectively surrendered the UK media business to Carat and creative work has traditionally relied on US campaigns.