Publicis and Joshua keep £35m Post Office business

Publicis and Joshua have retained the Post Office’s £35m advertising and marketing business following a six-month review that also added Triangle to the below-the-line roster.

Publicis and Joshua have retained the Post Office’s &£35m advertising and marketing business following a six-month review that also added Triangle to the below-the-line roster.

Publicis pitched against Saatchi & Saatchi and Lowe for the bulk of the above-the-line business. Joshua, which creates some of the Post Office’s press and poster ads as well as its in-store promotional activity, pitched against Triangle and WWAV Rapp Collins.

Publicis and Joshua have been retained in a similar capacity. Triangle, which is part of Arc UK Group, will work on in-branch projects and selected below-the-line campaigns. President of Arc Europe, Middle East and Africa Andrew Edwards put together a joint pitch team from Arc and Triangle to compete for the business.

The review, which was called in September last year, was statutory and was led by John Scott, the former Burger King marketing director who was appointed in February 2003 as Post Office head of marketing communications.

The Haystack Group handled the pitch.

Publicis and Joshua were appointed in 2001 with a brief to build the Post Office brand. It was thought the review could mark the end of the Post Office’s branding campaign that features an animated family of ants, but Scott says the campaign idea will be “developed” rather than replaced.

He adds that Triangle was appointed because of its retail experience and says the Post Office is keen to develop the services it offers at branches.