John Ayling nets 6m Dairy Crest

Dairy Crest marketing director Belinda Gooding has awarded the 6m media planning and buying account to John Ayling & Associates.

The announcement comes only one week after BSkyB awarded its 20m media business to another smaller-league player, Universal McCann. The account had been with Zenith Media.

The review spanned all the Dairy Crest brands – Clover, Willow, Frijj and Cathedral City. The pitch was between incumbent agencies John Ayling and Mediapolis together with Motive, BBJ Media Services and IDK Media.

A third incumbent, Mediacom – which handled the Frijj business – could not repitch because of conflict with its Mars account.

Gooding says: “The choice was made because the agency had excellent planning techniques and showed it was able to think outside the box.”

Gooding says she will not review the creative agencies for the four brands. They are Mellors Reay & Partners and Young & Rubicam. Clover is being advertised on TV.

Media Analysis, page 18