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Starcom Motive has grabbed the pounds 15 million media planning and

buying account for Barclays, after a final shootout against OMD UK.

The decision comes after Starcom successfully forced its way on to a

pitchlist including MediaVest, its sister agency and the incumbent on

the Barclays business.

The pitchlist was initially restricted to the banking group's roster

agencies, with MediaVest defending its account against Optimedia, which

handles Barclays' sister brand the Woolwich, and OMD UK, which holds the

Barclaycard business.

However, Starcom was included on the shortlist after a request from its

parent company, the Starcom MediaVest Group, that both its agencies be

represented.

Starcom Motive has been free to pitch for financial business since

losing its pounds 43 million NatWest account to MediaCom last

December.

The review was originally scheduled to take place at the end of last

year, but was postponed because Barclays felt it allowed too little time

for planning. The process was reactivated in February. MediaVest and

Optimedia were dropped from the list last month, leaving Starcom and OMD

to battle it out through a series of workshops and written

proposals.

The appointment of Starcom is the first act of Barclays group's

marketing director, Simon Gulliford, who joined from Emap in May.

"During the process, Starcom has demonstrated a great understanding of

Barclays' needs," he said. "We are all very much looking forward to

working with the agency."

The win coincides with the appointment of Starcom to handle media

planning and buying in the UK for the US kitchen and household

appliances manufacturer Maytag.

The agency, which won the account without a pitch, has signed a pounds

500,00 deal with Classic FM's "Great Performances" programming strand to

promote the launch of a new vacuum cleaner.