McCann Erickson has been awarded the London Olympics project, the biggest marketing assignment in the UK.

McCann, which is part of New York-based Interpublic Group, will oversee London 2012’s advertising, promotion, public relations, and digital communications over the next 3 1/2 years.

The agency reportedly beat UK's WPP group for the project, according to an online news report by British newspaper The Guardian on April 29. WPP is a global communications group which owns a host of companies including Ogilvy, Burson- Marsteller, Grey, Hill & Knowlton, GroupM and mediaedge:cia.

The London 2012 project bid was unusual in that instead of agencies being paid a pitch fee, bidders were asked how much they were willing to pay for the right to market the games.

McCann will pay approximately £10 million (RM52.91 million) in services-in-kind; in exchange, it becomes an official sponsor of the games.

UK agency Chime Communications had a one-year contract for London 2012’s marketing in the run-up to the handover ceremony at the Beijing Olympics last year.