OMD UK held the account since May 2001, but has fallen victim to MindShare's impressive new-business performance. The WPP Group-owned agency won business from Nestle, Unilever, HSBC, First Direct and Samsung in 2004.
The decision comes after the departure in October of the group marketing director of Express Newspapers, Roland Agambar, who has not been replaced. Agambar moved to News International, where he took up the marketing director's job at The Sun and News of the World.
Express joint group managing director Stan Myerson, who appointed MindShare, said: "I've been impressed by MindShare's ability to develop creative ideas that deliver business results for its clients. We believe it will help us continue our success."
In December's newspaper ABCs, the Daily Express again fared worse than arch-rival the Daily Mail. The Express was down 2.49% to 892,533, while the Mail was down 0.5% to 2,403,073. Express Newspapers fared better in the Sunday market, where the Sunday Express climbed 2.94% to 996,049.
Kelly Clark, chief executive of MindShare, said: "Express Newspapers is an ambitious company with really exciting development plans, and we're looking forward to helping it create smart solutions."
MindShare counted the Telegraph Group as a national newspaper client until November 2003. It resigned the account following the client's decision to move media planning duties to Naked Inside, the joint venture between Naked and Clemmow Hornby Inge.
OMD still holds the media account for the Express Shopping Channel, which it won in September.
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