This article was originally published by Adweek.
British Airways has appointed Omnicom Media Group as its new media and SEO partner following a full marketing services review. Omnicom starts work March 2022
All media planning and buying, paid and organic search and other core performance marketing channels, including affiliates and metasearch partnerships, are consolidated under one agency for a synergized strategy.
British Airways will work with a dedicated Omnicom Media Group team, providing access to talent, capabilities and tools from across the group to support the evolving needs of British Airways and maximize its growth strategy.
“Throughout the pitch, we were impressed with Omnicom’s industry leading strategic and technological capabilities, digital first approach and strong focus on effectiveness. We look forward to working with Omnicom’s highly talented teams globally as we emerge from the pandemic and look ahead to our future,” Tom Stevens, British Airways’ director of brand and customer experience, said in a statement. “ I’d like to thank WPP for the successful partnership over the last few years as we transition to the new operating model.”
Omnicom Media Group’s CEO Florian Adamski added in a statement: “We are very proud to have been selected as the global media partner for British Airways. This was an opportunity to create a flexible agency model for British Airways powered by Omnicom Media Group’s breadth of talent and Omni, Omnicom’s industry-leading open operating system, orchestrating better outcomes for our clients.”
The business was announced on the same day the U.S. opened up its borders to European travelers. It also coincides with a steadily increasing rise in readiness to resume travel among consumers, which is among the findings from the latest wave of OMG’s ‘New Normal’ national research of tracking consumers’ perceptions and attitudes about life coming out of and after quarantine. Travel tops the list of things people are looking forward to getting back to doing, with 56% of respondents reporting that as their top choice.
The news of Omnicom’s appointment follows the announcement that Uncommon has been appointed as British Airways’ global creative and CRM agency, taking over from WPP in February 2022.
Alongside British Airways, International Airlines Group (IAG) Loyalty will also be appointing Omnicom. Omnicom Media Group currently works with HM Government, John Lewis and Virgin Media, with recent global wins including Chanel and Mercedes-Benz.
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