Game holds talks with agencies over advertising account

Game, which claims to be UK’s largest specialist games agency, is in talks with a number of undisclosed creative agencies over its &£1.25m advertising account. The discussions are believed to be at an early stage.

It is not known if Game has an incumbent advertising agency. Media planning and buying is handled through MJ Media, which is not thought to be affected by the creative pitch.

Three years ago, parent company Electronics Boutique (EB) rebranded as Game (MW January 20, 2002). The move came following EB’s acquisition of Game two years earlier.

The &£6m revamp was implemented as EB believed the Game brand was simpler, more generic and more suitable for use in foreign markets. It was also expected to lead to less duplication in marketing work, while individual EB and Game brand managers were axed.

Almost 200 of the 300-plus stores were rebranded from Electronics Boutique as Game. The group now has 400 stores across UK and Ireland, with further networks in Europe.

The company has previously shunned advertising in favour of direct mail. EB has a customer database of millions, generated from loyalty and reward schemes.