AXA UK calls review of its direct marketing agencies

French-owned insurance giant AXA UK is to review its direct marketing agencies this autumn.

The company says it does not have an exact timetable, but says it will not initiate the review before October, allowing time for the dust to settle following the appointment of J Walter Thompson to its &£23m above-the-line account in June (MW May 15 and June 5).

AXA UK head of brand Darrin Nightingale says: “We have 26 direct marketing agencies. If we did review it wouldn’t exactly be a surprise. We have more DM agencies in the UK than Coca-Cola has worldwide.”

A review would be driven by Nightingale, who was responsible for the appointment of JWT. The agency was appointed after incumbent TBWA/London won the race for the Abbey National account.

AXA operates three different business in the UK: AXA Insurance, selling general insurance, AXA Sun Life, its life assurance and pensions company and AXA PPP Healthcare, selling private medical insurance.

Both AXA Sun Life and AXA PPP Healthcare are slowly being rebranded as AXA Life and AXA Healthcare, as part of the parent company’s move towards implementing a single brand strategy worldwide.

Currently, the various parts of the business are allowed to make their own DM arrangements.