BBDO New York has been selected as AARP's new brand agency of record following a review, run internally, that launched late last year.

The Omnicom Group agency takes the business from incumbent WPP's Grey, which people close to the matter had told Ad Age competed in the review to defend the business. Those people said Interpublic Group of Cos.' The Martin Agency had also participated.

A Grey spokesperson told Ad Age that the shop remains on the roster as social media agency of record, a title it picked up without a review last year.

BBDO New York said in a statement it has been selected by AARP to expand its offerings and drive relevance "among younger segments of the 50-plus audience" (the demographic that the nonprofit serves). AARP is also trying to reach prospective members with its benefits, advocacy and information and BBDO New York said as such its marketing efforts will position the brand "as a wise friend and fierce defender for people 50-plus, their families and their communities."

"We are excited to work together to support this iconic brand and showcase it as the modern, life-planning resource that it is,” BBDO New York President-CEO Kirsten Flanik said in a statement.

Through its marketing efforts over the past few years, AARP has been trying to refute the notion that seniors aren't willing to change their brand preferences and are therefore overlooked by marketers.

As BBDO New York pointed out in its statement on the win, the company is "an advocate against ageism and a proponent of planning for the reality that Americans are living, and working, longer than ever before. Innovation is key as the organization seeks to fulfill its mission to empower people to choose how they live as they age," the agency said.

While it served on the account for nearly a decade, Grey's creative efforts included the 2018 "Take on Today" multi-platform campaign that aimed to tell inspiring stories about what life can hold for people above the age of 50. In 2015, the agency also leaned on millennial slang, like "OMG" and "Duh," for a series of ads highlighting stats at the time that showed people aged 50 years and older are responsible for 51 percent of consumer spending in the U.S.

BBDO New York said it expects to debut new work in early 2021.

AARP's total media spend in 2019 was $112 million, with $19 million spent on online advertising, according to estimates from COMvergence.