Barclays U.S. Consumer Bank has chosen Publicis Groupe's Team One as its agency of record for strategic and creative marketing.

Lili Tomovich, who joined Barclays in September 2021 as chief marketing and experience officer, said she wanted to evolve the company’s marketing function and capabilities, which meant evaluating its partners. “I was looking at how we invest in our people, how we invest in marketing technology, how we invest in our processes and organization design,” Tomovich said. 

Havas' Arnold Worldwide previously held the account, but the agency and Barclays amicably parted ways at the end of 2021. Omnicom Group's Hearts & Science currently handles the company’s media business. 

Tomovich and her team at Barclays chose Team One after a review that began in the spring and saw 12 agencies pitch because they liked the way the agency wove analytics into its strategic and creative capabilities. 

“They listened and they really understood that we’re a bank, so we’re very, very data-driven and analytically oriented,” Tomovich said. “Their approach wasn’t just strategy and creative, but really trying to understand the use of data, analytics and consumer insights to drive the right positioning and communication strategy.” 

The review was managed by Joanne Davis Consulting in New York.

Team One will work with Barclays in areas including consumer communications strategy, CRM, digital and sponsorship marketing as the brand aims to boost usage of its premium credit cards and banking services in the U.S. It will also manage Barclays’ Premier League and Wimbledon sponsor relationships. Tomovich also plans to grow the company’s loans and deposit business in the coming years.

Barclays is a key win for Team One, whose affluent client roster includes Lexus and Marriott International's Ritz-Carlton. Barclays' media spend was estimated at $29 million in 2021, according to Kantar.   

The agency has done work for Ally Bank and HSBC in the past, and Barclays was on the client wish list for Team One, said CEO Julie Michael. 

“Barclays was kind of our dream, so when it came up for review, we really jumped at the chance to participate,” Michael said. “There may be future digital work to be done—we do CRM and B2B work—so the opportunity to scale with us is there if Barclays ever needs the capability."