Manning Gottlieb OMD splits with Independent

The Independent is set to part company with media planning and buying agency Manning Gottlieb OMD.

It is believed the agency will not renew its contract at the end of December. It was appointed to the account in January 2001 (MW January 4, 2001).

Walsh Trott Chick Smith handles The Independent’s advertising account. It was appointed in April last year. The national newspaper spent &£780,000 in the year to June on advertising (Nielsen).

In April, The Independent relaunched with a redesign and tabloid-sized second section, carrying the strapline “The Broader View”. Media buyers were critical at the time, as the relaunch was not supported by a marketing push. The newspaper did launch an outdoor campaign soon afterwards.

The Independent saw a small month-on-month climb in its circulation in September, to 225,258 – 0.17 per cent up on August (ABC). Its average net circulation for April to September, however, was 1.3 per cent down on the same period in 2001 – to 225,845.

The Independent has enjoyed some success in attracting display advertisers, with Renault buying all the space in the main section for the launch of its new Mégane model last Friday (MW last week).

David Green, circulation and marketing director for The Independent and Independent on Sunday, was unavailable for comment as Marketing Week went to press.