YMG lands 15m Le Shuttle brief

By Paul McCann

Le Shuttle has given YMG Carat a well-timed fillip by appointing the agency to handle its 15m media buying and planning account after a three-way pitch.

YMG defeated Pattison Horswell Durden and Booth Lockett Makin for the business after the full-service account moved out of BMP DDB this month. Bainsfair Sharkey Trott won the creative account two weeks ago.

The account win comes two weeks after YMG’s high-profile 4.5m (Register-MEAL) SmithKline Beecham (SB) account was centralised into MediaCom.

The loss of one of its biggest accounts prompted speculation that YMG’s parent, Carat UK, was planning to fold the company into its other media operations, BBJ Media Services and TMD Carat.

“This win couldn’t have come at a better time,” says YMG’s managing director Mark Jamison.

“It completely overshadows the SB loss. The reality is that the account was never more than six to seven per cent of our total income.”

Le Shuttle is Eurotunnel’s car train service. The media and creative review was led by the company’s new commercial director Bill Dix, who plans to run a major push over the summer holiday season.

Eurotunnel’s co-chairman Sir Alastair Morton this week threatened ferry companies with a summer price war. Last year’s 11m spend (Register-MEAL) is expected to be increased.

Le Shuttle marketing director Phillippa Harris says the agencies will execute a new brand strategy.

“We are now shifting our focus from basic fact and information to the excitement and experience offered by Le Shuttle,” she says.

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