Carat media boss seconded to client Gizmondo Europe

Carat head of media Mark Jarvis is thought to be taking a secondment from the media buying agency to work with one of its clients, hand-held gaming device company Gizmondo Europe.

Jarvis’s decision to take time out from the agency follows the departure of Carat managing director Colin Mills and marketing director Jenny Biggam earlier this year. It is also understood that Keith Rattray is no longer running Carat Digital.

The move coincides with the appointment of former Carlton Sales managing director Steve Platt as Carat’s European trading director. He has been working at Carat as a consultant for several months, and it is likely that he will also assume extra responsibilities for media in the UK.

Jarvis will work on the marketing of Gizmondo as it is rolled out across Europe and launched in the US. Gizmondo Europe is a subsidiary of US mobile technology company Tiger Telematics. Its device carries a location-sensitive advertising medium called Smart Adds (MW August 12), and uses GPRS mobile technology to allow users to send and receive e-mails on the move. The device went on sale in the UK at the end of October and also features an MP3 music player, a digital camera and text- and picture-messaging functions.