Late pitch from start-up wins £1m Tussaud’s ad business

New agency the WPJ Collective (WPJ) has been appointed to handle the £1m Madame Tussaud’s advertising account. The agency, a Chime Communications-owned start-up, was a late arrival on the Madame Tussaud’s pitch list but beat four agencies – So

New agency the WPJ Collective (WPJ) has been appointed to handle the &£1m Madame Tussaud’s advertising account.

The agency, a Chime Communications-owned start-up, was a late arrival on the Madame Tussaud’s pitch list but beat four agencies – Soul, Quiet Storm, Burkitt DDB and Cheetham Bell JWT – to take the account. Incumbent BMP DDB did not repitch.

Madame Tussaud’s head of marketing Paul Moreton oversaw the pitch. He says WPJ will continue the waxworks’ repositioning strategy, which began last year. He adds that the marketing budget for 2003 will be boosted by 25 per cent.

Last year, Madame Tussaud’s introduced a more interactive and populist approach to its exhibits, with models of Kylie Minogue, David Beckham and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Moreton says that the attraction hopes to boost the number of UK visitors and adds: “We are turning Madame Tussaud’s from a ‘might see’ attraction to a ‘want to feel’ interactive and emotionally charged attraction.”

The first work from the WPJ Collective will appear in March, promoting the Treasure Planetarium. The exhibition is a tie-up with the Disney feature film Treasure Planet. It features Madame Tussaud’s first waxworks of animated characters.

In April last year, Carat was appointed to handle media planning and buying without a pitch. Carat replaced Manning Gottlieb OMD UK (MW April 3, 2002).

The WPJ Collective was founded by Roose chief executive Ed Will and creative director Jay Pond-Jones. Pond-Jones takes the title of content director at WPJ Collective. Both continue in their roles at Roose.