Advertising Brasserie to take on Paxo Christmas campaign

Ranks Hovis McDougall subsidiary, Bisto Foods, has appointed Advertising Brasserie to develop a new 1.5m Christmas campaign for the Paxo stuffing brand.

Bisto Foods is understood to have spoken to several agencies about the Paxo business before the Advertising Brasserie was appointed. The appointment is part of a broader review that began in March.

Advertising Brasserie, which became a company in its own right and changed its name from HHCL Brasserie after it split from HHCL & Partners earlier this year, had previously handled the Paxo account.

Paxo is changing its strategy for the Christmas campaign and focusing on a heavyweight poster campaign in addition to TV ads.

Jonathan Gatward, senior product manager at Bisto Foods, says: “Christmas is a key selling period for Paxo, so we considered this appointment very carefully.”

Marketing director Harriet Rhys Williams has been talking to advertising agencies about different creative approaches for the overall 4m Bisto account, which includes the Bisto, Saxa and Paxo brands (MW March 26). Rhys Williams became marketing director in October of last year.