Leo Burnett has been given the chance to join the Heinz roster in
the UK by pitching for the John West canned fish business Heinz acquired
four months ago. Burnetts joins Bates Dorland, the main Heinz agency, in
the contest for the account, which has been dormant but is expected to
be backed by a budget of between pounds 2 and pounds 3 million. The
incumbent shop, Bartle Bogle Hegarty, declined to repitch.
Lowe Howard-Spink, BMP DDB and Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO will next week
pitch for the pounds 15 million-plus account to launch British Digital
Broadcasting.
Western International Media, BMP Optimum and New PHD are understood to
be pitching for BDB’s media account.
James Lowther, the joint creative director of M&C Saatchi, has been
named the chairman of the jury for next year’s British Television
Advertising Awards. The awards ceremony will take place on 11 March at
the Grosvenor House Hotel.
Asprey, the royal jeweller, is reviewing its advertising business 18
months after appointing M&C Saatchi to revitalise its image. The review,
led by the marketing director, Maria Sealey, will cover Asprey’s UK and
international advertising. Sources said the account could be worth up to
pounds 5 million. Geoffrey Lang, Asprey’s managing director, denied a
review was taking place.
The Government has decided to speed up its plans to limit national
spending by political parties, which will mean a radical cut in
advertising budgets for the Labour and Conservative parties for the
European elections in 1999. The spending limits had not been expected to
take effect until the next general election. Ad budgets for European
elections are traditionally much smaller than those for general
elections, but Labour and the Tories had intended to run strong
campaigns because the 1999 poll will provide the Government’s biggest
mid-term test (see Live Issue, p18).
Gordon McNamee, the founder and former chief executive of Kiss 100 FM,
the London dance music station, is to join Mentorn Broadcasting to head
a bid for a dance station based in the North-east of England. The
consortium, Ice FM, will bid for the Radio Authority-advertised licence,
which has a deadline for applications of 10 March 1998, with a decision
expected to be announced some months afterwards.
Flextech is to launch a transactional travel channel in the UK next
year.
The channel, which has yet to be named, will offer travel information
and a booking service as well as information on car hire, exchange rates
and accommodation.
Susie Henry, a senior writer at Saatchi & Saatchi, is leaving the
agency.
Henry, who was a partner at Waldron Allen Henry & Thompson in the 80s,
has been closely associated with Commercial Union, a former client of K
Advertising and Saatchis. Commercial Union moved to Duckworth Finn Grubb
Waters earlier this year after K’s merger with its parent company,
Saatchis, resulted in a conflict with the existing Saatchis client,
Norwich Union.
Zenith Media Worldwide has promoted Adrian Sayliss to the role of chief
financial officer designate, following the resignation of Sheila
Bennett.
Sayliss, at present the finance director of Zenith Media Europe, will
play an important role in Zenith’s financial future after the demerger
with Cordiant next month.
World Writers, the international cultural and advertising consultancy,
has appointed Julie Williams to the new post of business development
director.
Williams previously worked for the business consultancy, the David
Michaels Organisation.
Three creatives - John Leney, Richard Donovan and Gary Denholm - have
been made redundant from BDDP GGT this week.
Stephen Whyte, the deputy managing director of the agency, denied their
departure was connected to last month’s merger between BST-BDDP and GGT.
