Pitching agencies for Virgin Media's £36 million bounty - Adam & Eve, Bartle Bogle Hegarty, Mother and the incumbent, DDB UK - are going on a magical mystery tour today (Thursday).
Each agency has been instructed to send three of their people to a mystery location in the North for a special briefing. One from each agency will get to travel on a Virgin Limobike, the brand's passenger motorbike service, in order to avoid traffic. Agencies expect two more tissue meetings, one on creative and one on strategy, with a pitch in mid-November.
There is finally some movement on the global Philips creative review. Ad agencies have received an RFI, with around eight due to have meetings in Amsterdam towards the end of the week. The incumbent, DDB, is repitching.
Eurostar's ad review is progressing. New-business directors have been up late this week filling in the initial submissions. There's then a long wait to find out who has made it on to the shortlist, which is due to be announced in November.
Finally, there will be a two-stage pitch process - the first taking place during mid-December, with the second coming at the beginning of January.
The Sue Ryder pitch is progressing quickly, with the shortlist cut from five to three. Beta and Meteorite have failed to make the cut, leaving OgilvyOne, SFW and TMW battling it out.
The ongoing consolidation of Mariott International's media business has moved up a gear. It is now understood to be a head-to-head between the EMEA incumbent, MEC, and ZenithOptimedia, the incumbent in Asia.
Pitches for the Flight Centre media account took place this week between the incumbent, Total Media, Initiative, Conrad and All Response Media.
