DMB&B beats St Luke’s to 3m COI brief

DMB&B is understood to have beaten fellow COI roster agency St Luke’s to a 3m Government account to promote a national telephone hotline for jobseekers.

Under the scheme – which may be called Jobs Direct – people telephone regional Employment service teams who give details of local job opportunities.

The aim of the initiative, run by the Department for Education & Employment, is to give existing benefits claimants more up-to-the-minute information and allow them to inquire about vacancies without having to visit a job centre every day.

It also aims to reach people who are not in work and not claiming benefits, such as mothers with older children who might consider taking a part-time job.

DMB&B is expected to create a TV and print advertising campaign, with direct mail and leaflets, and posters which will be displayed inside job centres.

The agency already handles several COI accounts, including the Department of Transport road safety brief, and various pieces of DFEE business, including a campaign to promote literacy.

St Luke’s was appointed by the DFEE to advertise the New Deal scheme, which offers incentives to employers who create jobs for young unemployed people.