Wall Street Journal seeks agency for Euro brand push

The Wall Street Journal Europe is looking for an advertising agency to devise a pan-European brand-building campaign.

It is understood the move is a defensive one – in September the Financial Times launched a US edition which threatens to erode the Journal’s status as the leading global business paper.

The paper has not run a consumer advertising campaign since late 1995, when ads devised by Wieden & Kennedy ran in Frankfurt and Amsterdam. But it does advertise in the UK business press.

Editor Philip Revzin refuses to reveal the advertising spend but says the campaign will include press ads and posters. “We will talk to agencies about the exact spend and strategy,” he says.

The Journal is also launching its first UK-specific edition. The Tuesday-to-Friday editions will carry two extra pages of late-breaking news which will include the closing prices from Wall Street. However, the spelling will not be anglicised.

Printing will be transferred to Docklands from West Sussex, allowing deadlines to be put back by an hour.

In November, the FT launched its first global DRTV campaign on cable and satellite channels in Europe, Asia and the US. FT parent Pearson is reportedly committing 100m over the next five years to boosting international circulation.