CP+B have resigned the Turkish Airlines account ahead of an upcoming global creative review. The agency had handled creative duties since 2013. Campaign reports that the decision is unrelated to CP+B winning American Airlines’ global account last year.
Among CP+B most recent work for the client was a pair of spots from CP+B London back in February, “Fly to Gotham City with Turkish Airlines!” and “Fly to Metropolis with Turkish Airlines!” which also promoted the March release of Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. During its tenure as AOR, CP+B created some very visible ads for the brand, including 2013’s “Selife Shootout” between Lionel Messi and Kobe Bryant (that year’s most watched ad of the year on YouTube with over 138 million views) and the following year’s “Epic Food” showdown with Messi and Didier Drogba.
Campaign reports the review process will begin next year, led by Turkish Airlines global advertising manager Rafet Fatih Ozgur.
“We’ve had an amazing three-and-a-half year journey and done some exceptional work that we’re very proud of,” CP+B U.K. and international CEO Richard Pinder told the publication.
He continued: “Together we’ve transformed Turkish Airlines into a world class consideration brand. However, over the last 12 months, circumstances on the account have become increasingly untenable for our people. Some time ago I informed Turkish Airlines that when they chose to conduct their statutory review we would not participate – so today it’s time to say goodbye. We wish Turkish Airlines nothing but the best.”
A CP+B representative declined to elaborate today, but we hear that the resignation stemmed from a somewhat typical breakdown of the client/agency relationship.