Uncommon Creative Studio has been appointed as the creative agency for BT’s principal consumer brand after a competitive review, marking a notable change in the telecoms group’s marketing roster. According to Campaign, the win will see Uncommon handle strategic and creative work for the eponymous BT brand as the company seeks a clearer, more unified consumer position across its services.

The appointment follows a strategic reversal by BT’s chief executive, Allison Kirkby, who has moved to restore the BT name to prominence after earlier plans had contemplated elevating EE as the group’s primary consumer-facing brand. Industry reporting indicates that the rethink — prompted by internal discussions and input from major shareholders — reflected worries that sidelining the BT name could alienate older customers and erode the value of the company’s long-standing heritage.

Allison Kirkby’s stewardship has been presented elsewhere as part of a broader push to modernise and refocus the business. The Guardian’s coverage of her appointment described her mandate as driving cost savings and transformation across BT, including continued attention to the full-fibre rollout and competitive pressures that have shaped the company’s commercial priorities since she took charge.

Uncommon arrives at BT on the back of an aggressive growth trajectory and a growing global footprint. Trade reporting shows the studio has recently won high-profile accounts — including Aer Lingus, where the brief is reported to amplify the airline’s “You’re Very Welcome” positioning — and has been recognised on industry lists for its creative work and expansion into the United States. Ad Age profiles and industry outlets frame Uncommon as an agency increasingly trusted with large-scale brand briefs and ambitious creative programmes.

Campaign’s coverage of the BT review suggested the remit for Uncommon will cover brand strategy, creative campaigns and communications that aim to present a cohesive consumer proposition across BT’s product set. Industry reaction quoted in reporting frames the hire as more than a normal agency change: it is interpreted as an outward signal of BT’s renewed emphasis on its heritage brand and on a simpler, more consistent consumer narrative.

The move also sits alongside public reporting that BT will retain a multi‑brand approach — keeping BT and EE visible to different customer segments while continuing to position Plusnet at the value end of the market. Observers say that blending the strength of the BT name with the reach of EE will be one of the agency’s first creative puzzles, as the group balances legacy brand equity with the need to speak to younger, digitally native audiences.

What will determine the success of the appointment is how quickly Uncommon can translate strategic positioning into campaigns that move market perceptions and support BT’s wider operational goals. Commentators note that early signs to watch will include the tone and clarity of upcoming consumer communications, how the creative work aligns with the group’s modernisation and infrastructure priorities, and whether the new campaigns can help stabilise customer sentiment around the company’s evolving brand architecture.

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Source: Noah Wire Services