Psion counters bad publicity with 4m advertising spend

The Progress Agency is to see its budget for the Psion account quadrupled to 4m as Psion bids to counter poor publicity following its failed buyout of Amstrad.

The campaign is unusual for a company renowned for spending only 1m a year on advertising.

This quarter, Psion will spend 2m in the UK on press and poster sites. It will spend the same again in the US and Europe.

A spokesman for the company says: “Up until now we have relied on good public relations and word of mouth. But we now realise that we will have to become much more active in the market.”

The company will also broaden its appeal to the lower-priced personal organiser market, with the Siena. It will be about 20 per cent smaller than the rest of the Psion range and weighs 183 grams.

Most of the spend will support two products, the Series 3c and the Siena.

The Series 3c has all the functions of a Psion palm-top as well as infra-red beams (instead of cables) to connect different machines. It will sell for between 339 and 399.

The company’s creative work will stay with The Progress Agency and the media buying will be handled by John Ayling & Associates.