- MediaCom TMB has won the £85 million centralised media account for the Royal Bank of Scotland, NatWest, Direct Line and Lombard Direct following a six-month pitch.
In one of the biggest UK media reviews this year, MediaCom, which holds the Royal Bank of Scotland and Direct Line business, has scooped the rest of the business from Starcom Motive, the incumbent on NatWest. Faulds Media, which handles the Royal Bank of Scotland's corporate branding, also loses out. The appointment brings MediaCom an extra £43 million in new business.
The appointment follows a pitch against Starcom Motive and Media Planning. The final pitch was a head-to-head with Media Planning. MediaCom will take up the account early next year.
Rumours that MediaCom had won the account were fuelled by news last month that Ian Schoolar, the head of brand communication at NatWest, was resigning to take the role of director of marketing and ommunications at the Inland Revenue.
Meanwhile, a question mark hangs over the stewardship of the NatWest creative account. M&C Saatchi is behind the current TV work to relaunch the bank, yet the branding account is still held by TBWA\London.
TBWA won the account just under two years ago and set up a specialist unit, the NatWest Village, employing around 30 people, to handle above- and below-the-line advertising. The account was previously split between Ammirati Puris Lintas and Bartle Bogle HegartyThe media centralisation follows the £20 billion hostile takeover of NatWest by the Royal Bank of Scotland, completed earlier this year. It created the third-largest bank in Britain after HSBC and Lloyds TSB.
Neither the Royal Bank of Scotland or MediaCom would comment on the appointment as Campaign went to press.
