DHL reviews 25m Euro account

Courier company DHL Worldwide Express is reviewing its pan-European creative account, worth more than 25m, out of Hamburg-based Scholz & Friends.

Marketing communications managers from the UK, France, Germany and Italy will nominate agencies with pan-European capabilities to make up a shortlist of five.

DHL International (UK) marketing communications manager Mike Bull says he will put forward Mellors Reay, which already handles radio and local advertising in the UK.

Mellors Reay created the current radio campaign, which stars Bob Mortimer.

Bull says: “It’s time for a review. We need to look at the strategic direction of the business and examine alternatives for the creative account.”

DHL has developed the brief already but refuses to give details at this stage. Bull envisages the shortlist of five will be whittled down to three, following the first round of presentations.

Scholz & Friends developed a testimonial TV campaign with the theme “People like us…like us”, which is now in its third year.

The fourth ad in the series, based in a Northern European shipyard, aired in the UK two weeks ago to coincide with the post-Christmas build-up in the courier business.

DHL operates in more than 227 countries. The express delivery market is growing by about 30 per cent annually.