Zoo poised to switch £8m account away from NMI

EMAP’s weekly lads mag Zoo is understood to be looking for a new agency to handle its &£8m advertising account.

The incumbent, NMI – whose senior staff recently relaunched as Superhero – carried out work for EMAP, including campaigns for FHM’s High Street Honeys, FHM Bionic and positioning work for Arena Magazine, before being awarded the Zoo business without a pitch.

A Superhero spokesman refused to say whether the agency will repitch.

The latest Audit Bureau Circulation figures put Zoo’s, circulation at 260,317 between January and June 2005 – up 8.4 per cent period-on-period and 30.1 per cent year- on-year.

Zoo’s original circulation target was 150,000, but it has trailed in a battle with IPC rival Nuts, whose year-on-year figure rose a more modest 5 per cent to 304,751.

In August, EMAP Consumer Media (ECM) launched Zoos’ first international edition in Spain. The magazine is published in partnership with Spanish FHM publisher Focus Ediciones, which launched Spanish weekly title Sie7e earlier this year.

Sie7e will be rebranded Zoo Sie7e and ECM hopes it will achieve a circulation of 100,000 in its first 18 months.