KEY POINTS:
Yellow Pages Group has parted with longtime advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi for arch-rival Colenso BBDO but says the controversy over its creeping hands TV commercials played no part in the decision..
Yellow Pages marketing director Blair Glubb says it still likes the creeping hands advertisement and says it is popular and recognised by consumers.
He said the change after 14 years with Saatchi & Saatchi did not reflect dissatisfaction with the ad.
The deal also marks a shift in marketing alliances in the telecommunications sector.
As part of Telecom, Yellow Pages split its advertising between direct marketing agency Aim Proximity and Saatchi & Saatchi for its brand advertising, including the hands ad.
Telecom sold the Yellow Pages just eight months ago for $2.24 billion to CCMP Capital and Teachers Private Capital, the private investment arm of the Ontario Teachers Pension Plan.
Under new ownership Yellow Pages is turning its back on Telecom's agency Saatchi & Saatchi and forming closer relations with Vodafone and its agencies Aim Proximity and Colenso BBDO.
Media buying will remain with the Saatchi & Saatchi-linked company Starcom.
Glubb dismissed controversy over the creeping fingers, named worst TV commercial by consumer affairs programme Fair Go.
Glubb says the ad would continue to play on TV and was voted most popular ad by independent research.
Yellow Pages recently announced it had signed a deal to puts its directory on to the Vodafone Live mobile platform so people could locate and contact people without the need of a phonebook or computer.
In the biggest advertising deal of the year, Telecom's rival Vodafone shifted its advertising to Colenso BBDO and Aim Proximity with the latter cutting a long term relationship with Telecom in the process.
Glubb said that the change of agency was not linked to its deal with Vodafone.
Yellow Pages was still talking to Telecom about providing the service through its T3 mobile net-work and hoped to make progress, he said.
A TVNZ spokeswoman said the worst ad title was not scientific but said it reflected the results of public feedback under its poll which was carefully counted.
