Eurostar to double advertising spend

Eurostar is set to double its advertising budget as it prepares for its move from Waterloo to a new terminal at St Pancras in 2007.

The company has an annual spend of about £5m, but that will be increased to more than £10m when the operation heads to St Pancras.

The company, which recently put its media planning and buying account out to pitch, says that creative agency TBWA/London has prepared a three-year ad strategy for the move that has been approved.

Eurostar launched its latest poster campaign last week with a slightly altered logo, which features an added glow effect, and a new strapline: “You carry your journey with you. So make it Eurostar”.

The ads are being run only in southern England, reflecting the fact that Waterloo does not have good transport links. St Pancras is widely regarded as having better rail connections to other parts of the country, and when Eurostar relocates there the journey times to Europe will also be reduced. At the same time, ad campaigns will go national, dramatically increasing spend.

The media account pitch is being handled by Billett, and Eurostar says it does not expect a shortlist to be prepared until the end of the summer. The pitch will not take place until October.