- Andrew McMains

NEW YORK Virgin Atlantic has shifted creative duties on its U.S. ad account to Young & Rubicam here.

The new agency succeeds independent McKinney in Durham, N.C., which had handled the business for about two years.

A McKinney representative confirmed the shift but declined further comment, referring questions to Virgin Atlantic vice president of marketing Jim Mezoff, who was not immediately available.

The account is relatively small for an agency the size of WPP Group's Y&R, but provides the chance to do potentially dynamic work for a high-profile brand.
 
Virgin Atlantic's major media spending totaled nearly $7 million last year, up from about $4 million in 2007, according to TNS Media Intelligence. Spending in the first quarter of this year totaled less than $100,000, per TNS.
 
Virgin Atlantic is also a longtime client of Y&R's London office, which handles creative duties in the U.K and other parts of Europe. So, with the shift, the airline has consolidated the bulk of its global business at Y&R.

The agency declined to comment and referred calls to the Norwalk, Conn.-based client.

Before McKinney, Virgin Atlantic's lead U.S. agency was MDC Partners' Crispin Porter + Bogusky in Miami.