A London creative advertising agency behind Guinness, Sheba, Currys and Bodyform campaigns, part of the global BBDO network.
AMV BBDO is one of Britain's best-known creative advertising agencies. It dreams up and makes the campaigns that appear on TV, online, outdoors and social media for brands such as Guinness, Currys, Sheba, Maltesers, Bodyform, Whiskas and the RSPCA. Famous campaigns include Guinness "Surfer" (1999) and "Good things come to those who wait", Snickers "You're Not You When You're Hungry" and the National Lottery's #pleasenotthem. Recent work includes Currys "Beyond Techspectations", which uses real colleagues in funny in-store scenes, Sheba's "Gravy Race" and the RSPCA's first rebrand in 50 years. It works under the AMV Group name, which also includes a creator-led social team called Native and a business-to-business offer called AMV Works.
The agency began as Abbott Mead Vickers, founded in London in 1977 by David Abbott, Peter Mead and Adrian Vickers. For about thirty years its motto was "The Work, The Work, The Work". In spring 2025 it moved to a new line, "Big ideas that real people love". Chief executive Xavier Rees describes the idea as "a fight against little thinking, little steps and little risk".
AMV BBDO is based at Bankside 3, 90 Southwark Street, London SE1 0SW, with a reported 344 staff (a directory figure, undated). It sits inside the BBDO network and Omnicom. In December 2025 Campaign reported that, following Omnicom's takeover of Interpublic, the agency would take in the staff of FCB London and MullenLowe UK, with Katy Wright joining as chief client officer. Other team names mentioned in 2025 include Nadja Lossgott and Nicholas Hulley (chief creative officers), Jo Arden (chief strategy officer) and Jemima Monies (chief growth officer).
The agency says its culture is about debate and trust. Leaders talk about wanting people to "voice their opinions and different points of view" and to like each other enough to disagree well. Strategists visit people's homes and kitchens every quarter to stay close to real customers, and staff are encouraged to experiment with AI as what one creative leader calls a "sparring partner". These are the agency's own words.
People here do many kinds of jobs. Creative teams of copywriters and art directors come up with ideas, strategists study customers, account teams manage clients and budgets, and producers and social specialists get the work made and published. Recent wins mentioned include Mercedes F1 Team, E.ON Next, Philips Personal Care and Starbucks, so there is a steady flow of new briefs to work on.
Website: www.amvbbdo.com
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