Snook confirms £60m review of Orange media

Orange is gearing up to review its media account, worth £60m in the UK, following the appointment of Lowe Lintas as its new creative agency.

Orange is gearing up to review its media account, worth &£60m in the UK, following the appointment of Lowe Lintas as its new creative agency.

Orange chief executive Hans Snook says a media review will be discussed over the coming months as the company realises its global expansion plans. The UK account is held by Media Planning with various agencies used around the globe.

Snook says global media buying was reviewed before the creative account was moved out of WCRS: “We reviewed four or five agencies and agreed for the moment to keep Media Planning in the UK.

“But as we go forward the possibility of running ads worldwide arises. It would make sense to give one agency the global media buying account. When that happens we will look at which media agency that should be.”

Snook says Media Planning will be in a strong position when the review happens.

Media Planning is partly-owned by Havas, as is former creative incumbent WCRS.

Media Planning managing director Marc Mendoza says: “We have an excellent relationship with Orange and we have been categorically informed that a media review is not imminent.”

Snook says the main reason for ditching WCRS is because it does not have the network capacity to handle France Télécom-owned Orange’s global expansion plans. “WCRS did not have the bandwidth to help us at the speed with which we are growing.”

Lowe Lintas is associated with the Western and Initiative media agencies that are merged in markets outside the UK. They are owned by Interpublic Group, which also counts McCann-Erickson and Universal McCann among its subsidiaries.

Orange anticipates spending &£60m on advertising in 2001, doubling its existing ad spend to reflect its growth policy and the dropping of France Télécom’s mobile brands Itineris and Ola in favour of Orange. The resultant mobile company will be refloated at the end of this year, says Snook.

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