Inferno triumphs in pitch for £2.5m Holiday Autos advertising business

Car rental company Holiday Autos has awarded its &£2.5m advertising account to Inferno.

The full-service agency, which launched in January last year, has been appointed to the business after a five-way pitch.

Inferno pitched against three undisclosed agencies and incumbent Davies Little Cowley Fiddes (DLCF) which has held the business for less than a year.

Holiday Autos marketing director Joanne Pyshorn, who joined the company from rival Hertz Europe in March, says she called an advertising review following the departure of two senior members of DLCF in October. Creative director Mark Fiddes moved to KLP, a division of EURO RSCG; and senior account director David Hepple left without a job to go to.

Inferno starts work on the account immediately and will create trade and consumer campaigns for January. Pyshorn says that the company is considering press and classified advertising as well as direct mail.

Inferno was formed as a breakaway agency from Interfocus by three founding partners – Frazer Gibney, Tim Doust and the creative director Drew Saunders. The agency has carried out work for a number of clients including Prudential, healthcare broadband service Living Health, Telewest and Budweiser.

DLCF’s work for Holiday Autos included direct response radio work, direct marketing and classified press ads.