Caterpillar licensee hands global business to Fresh

Overland, the UK footwear group which licenses Caterpillar clothes globally and footwear within Europe, has appointed Fresh as its first global advertising agency, without a pitch.

The appointment follows the departure of the company’s global creative director, Shubankar Ray, last year and a recent restructure within the organisation.

Ray was responsible for the in-house creative direction of Caterpillar campaigns for about five years, but left to join Spanish footwear company Camper.

Fresh will be responsible for managing the creative treatment of the Caterpillar brand and the agency will launch its first campaign for the range in August.

It is not known how much the account is worth, but the company’s decision to outsource its advertising for the first time indicates an increased ad spend.

Overland’s marketing director Don Henshall and global brand manager David Allen also left the company after Ray’s departure. Their positions have now been axed.

The top marketers within the company are Chris Maughan, the footwear director, and Peter Gillmartin, who is the apparel director. Both Maughan and Gillmartin will oversee marketing and advertising.

A spokeswoman for Overland says: “The company restructured its business to ensure a more direct line of sight between concept and product in the market.

“The restructure has brought designers closer to the market and improved internal and external communication and processes.”