Maher Bird lands 3m Midlands Electricity
Maher Bird Associates has picked up the 3m account for the East Midlands Electricity company.
The brief is to push the energy company to business communities across the country, running up to the deregulation of electricity provision next year (see story below).
Maher Bird pitched against three other agencies. The account will include a full range of advertising activities from TV to direct mail.
BST-BDDP handles the advertising for East Midlands Electricity’s domestic gas brand, Sterling Gas, but advertising for domestic electricity is done in-house at the moment.
East Midlands Electricity and its subsidiaries were bought last year by the US company Dominion. Deregulation will mean that it can sell electricity to anyone in the country. At the moment East Midlands Electricity covers the Nottingham, Derby, Leicester and Northampton areas.
The company is obliged to hand money back to the Government as a result of the windfall tax. It is in the process of developing a loyalty card scheme for its customers.
Maher Bird has been troubled by the recent departure of a number of its senior directors. Stephen Maher, the only original founder of the agency left, is now the chief executive. He is in the process of recruiting staff.
