De Agostini hires MPG to handle £7m media brief

Havas-owned Media Planning Group has been appointed by partwork publisher De Agostini to handle its &£7m planning and buying following a competitive pitch. The incumbent on the business was MediaCom, which has held the business since 2000.

De Agostini, publisher of hobby and collectable titles like The Ultimate Doll’s House and Movie Musicals, has traditionally used above-the-line media, primarily TV, to launch numerous products each year.

Recent launches include Boxers, Enhancing your Mind Body Spirit and the popular Hong Kong Legends.

MPG will be tasked to make TV activity work harder for De Agostini. It will also review other media to reach as many people as possible during the key launch period for each product.

The partworks sector has been enjoying a boom in recent years.

In 2004, partworks became the third largest magazine sector after TV listings and women’s lifestyle, with retail sales growing 34% to &£150m, according to the Periodical Publishers Association.

Last year was not quite as strong, but sales are expected to have been either the same or only slightly down.

The sector is dominated by De Agostini, GE Fabbri, Hachette Filipacchi and Del Prado.