Learndirect appoints Carlson to £5m task

Learndirect, the Government-backed adult education scheme, has appointed Carlson Marketing Group to handle its &£5m direct marketing account.

Carlson won the account after a pitch against GGT Direct, Barraclough Hall Woolston Gray and WWAV Rapp Collins. Incumbent HPT Brand Response could not repitch after failing to win a place on the COI’s advertising agency roster.

Learndirect is an initiative run through governmental education body University for Industry. It provides information about adult education courses throughout the UK through a telephone hotline and website, and runs online classes at more than 400 centres across the country.

Duckworth Finn Grubb Waters and Scotland’s Faulds Advertising work on above-the-line activity.

Carlson will launch a direct mail campaign next month targeting existing users of the Learndirect hotline – which launched last year, and its website – which went live in May 2000. It will be followed in spring 2001 by a drive to attract new individual and business users.

Carlson account director Gisette Gilbertson says: “In November we will mail current Learndirect users to encourage them to take up new courses. We will then do some test activity to discover the most effective way of reaching different target groups – both individuals, such as people with basic skills, and small and medium-sized businesses.”