MediaVest wins £5m bookie brief

Bookmaker Victor Chandler has moved its &£5m media buying and planning account from MediaCom to MediaVest without a pitch.

MediaCom has handled Victor Chandler’s media account for more than five years. The company decided to shift its business after key MediaCom team members joined MediaVest earlier this year.

MediaCom also handled online media duties, while its sponsorship arm SponsorCom worked on the company’s TV and sports sponsorship business. Victor Chandler does not have a retained advertising agency, although it has worked with Y&R Global on a project basis.

Last week, the company unveiled a &£5m overhaul of its brand identity. The brand revamp will be used across Victor Chandler’s 116 countries, although the black-and-white logo will be dropped in China, where the colours are considered unlucky.

The company’s betting and gaming products will be brought under the vcbet, vcpoker, vccasino and vcgames banners. The Victor Chandler name will be retained as the corporate brand.

The revamp coincides with a return to the high street for the first time in a decade. Marketing director Alan Randall says that the company will open more than 100 shops by the end of next year.

Earlier this year, the company poached Blue Square marketing chief Edward Andrewes as its managing director (MW May 6).