BBH London will continue to serve as Audi’s creative agency in the U.K., bringing an end to a review that put their 37-year relationship at risk.
“We are delighted to have retained the Audi business,” Neil Munn, BBH Group CEO, said in a statement. “We will continue to deliver brilliant work and add value to this great brand, as we have done for many years.”
Audi has not responded to a request for comment.
The review, which kicked off in April of this year, was initiated by procurement. According to Campaign, BBH London went up against Engine in the final round.
The process was not without its fair share of controversy: In an op-ed for The Drum, Creature London CEO Dan Cullen-Shute encouraged agencies to avoid pitching for the account, calling the review a transparent cost-cutting exercise that hurts the advertising industry as a whole. VCCP also dropped out of the creative review this spring, a move that sources told AgencySpy stemmed from leadership growing uncomfortable with certain aspects of the pitch.
Last month, Audi tapped 72andSunny Amsterdam to lead a global campaign that will launch in 2020. The automaker works with Venables Bell & Partners in the U.S.