British Gas picks head of online service House

British Gas has promoted marketing boss Andrew Mann to head of its online home management service, House.co.uk.

Mann, who was responsible for advertising, campaign planning and affinity marketing at British Gas, becomes head of emerging channels at House.co.uk. He will be in charge of a major push behind the company’s online service, which includes the provision of central heating installation loans, mortgages, broadband internet and home security services.

He will continue to report to British Gas director of marketing and strategy Nick Smith.

Mann will be replaced as head of marketing communications by ex-Goldfish marketing director Charlie Herbert, who has spent the past few months in charge of sales and marketing at the Centrica Centre of Excellence. Herbert was charged with improving the company’s marketing effectiveness by working with the marketing directors of British Gas, One.Tel and the Automobile Association.

Industry sources say that Mann has been shifted to the online position in order to gain further managerial experience. Mann has previously worked as marketing director of Schweppes GB, where he launched Oasis and Dr Pepper in the UK. He has also held various global brand director positions at Coca-Cola.

British Gas has launched a major campaign promoting its House.- co.uk service. A television campaign broke last month created by Clemmow Hornby Inge, which won the £30m British Gas advertising account earlier this year (MW May 8). The ads feature Ricky Tomlinson and the strapline “Do the right thing”. Media buying and planning is by Carat.