Redcell scoops Wales tourism

Redcell has won the &£6m advertising and media account for the Wales Tourist Board (WTB) with a brief to turn the principality into a holiday hot spot.

Redcell (formerly Conquest) beat Leo Burnett, Partners BBDH, Leith London and Golley Slater & Partners (Cardiff). The pitch, handled by the AAR, was delayed by the foot-and-mouth crisis. Incumbent agency FCA! did not make the shortlist.

The WTB, which holds a statutory review every three years, recently launched a week-long, high-profile TV campaign to combat the huge drop in tourist numbers across the country following the foot-and-mouth epidemic. The drop in the number of visitors to Wales is estimated to be costing the industry on average more than &£20m a week.

Golley Slater & Partners worked on the project with Wordley Productions. Welsh TV weathergirl Sian Lloyd fronted the campaign.

FCA! repositioned Wales as a holiday destination “two hours and a million miles away” focusing on the relaxing effects of holidays in Wales.

It is understood that Redcell aims to show people there is more to Wales than wide-open spaces.

Redcell chief executive Julian Saunders says: “Successful ads for holidays create a sense of energy and excitement and imply that there is a great deal to do. That is true of Wales and that’s what Redcell plans to do.”