10m pitch for Danka worldwide business

Fax and photocopier company Danka is searching for an advertising agency to handle an international account worth between 5m and 10m.

The company has spoken to three agencies – J Walter Thompson, Publicis Focus and EURO RSCG Wnek Gosper. Danka is divided into two divisions: the US and international, but the focus of the campaign will be Europe and Australasia.

Danka is currently involved in a 7m Formula One sponsorship of the Danka Arrows team, which last season featured Damon Hill.

International advertising is intended to supplement the Grand Prix season between March and October, but extra advertising activity is planned.

“Formula One sponsorship is building awareness but we now need to supplement that,” says Danka director of marketing communi-cations Barrie George.

This week, the company an-nounced a product placement deal with the film “Rogue Trader”, starring Ewan McGregor, about City trader Nick Leeson who broke Barings Bank.

Danka has previously spent the bulk of its marketing budget in the UK on sports sponsorship. Prior to Formula One, it sponsored Premier League football team Everton and before that became the first sponsor of racing jockeys shirts.

“It knows that everybody has heard the name and so there is enough awareness but nobody knows what Danka sells,” says one agency source. “The sponsorship has taken it so far but it is now considering an advertising pro-gramme to take it further and boost sales.”

Last year, the company bought Kodak’s global photocopying business for $600m (370m). The company used the deal to justify its move into Formula One.