United Utilities reviews its media buying and planning

United Utilities, the water and gas supply company, has put its media planning and buying up for review. The review follows the end of a three-year contract with incumbent MediaCom North. The business is understood to be worth slightly less than &£1m.

The creative work for the company is handled by Manchester-based agency Cheetham Bell JWT, which was appointed last year to raise the profile of the company as the country’s biggest water provider in the North-west. The company’s creative business is not affected by the media review.

Cheetham Bell JWT has also worked with the utilities group to maximise its sponsorship of the Commonwealth Games, held earlier this year. In the past, United Utilities sponsored TV weather bulletins for Granada and Border regional weather.

United Utilities, which serves nearly 3 million water customers in the North-west, sold its retail gas and electricity supply business, Norweb Energi, to US-owned TXU two years ago. Following the sale, the Norweb Energi brand was merged into TXU Energi. TXU has since been sold to Powergen.

United no longer owns any retail energy supply businesses, and controls only distribution. It does own telecommunications company Your Communications, formerly Norweb Telecom.