The Media Shop nets Hamilton Direct Bank

Hamilton Direct Bank has appointed The Media Shop to handle the media account for its “affinity” unsecured loans, which are endorsed by a range of trade unions and employers.

The appointment follows Hamilton’s switch of its annual 2.3m media spend on the Direct Bank’s “centralised” or standalone loans service to TMS in July. The account was formerly handled by Prager & Partners, a subsidiary of Barraclough Hall Woolston Gray, and New PHD.

Ann Ritchie, marketing manager for Hamilton Direct, will not confirm a precise media budget for the affinity tranche of its loan business, but says: “It will be at least twice what is spent on the centralised, non-endorsed, side.”

Media activity will centre around the planning and buying of inserts and page ads in specialist media. The aim is to target staff and members of the loan company’s affinity partners.

TMS takes over the account from River Advertising, which had previously handled all creative and media work on Hamilton’s affinity loans business. Creative work has been switched to Blue Skies.