LoveFilm in agency hunt for TV push

LoveFilm International, the online DVD rental company, is looking for an advertising agency to handle its first TV campaign. It is planning to spend &£15m on marketing and advertising next year.

Two years ago LoveFilm advertised on the radio with a campaign on Capital Radio, using Capital FM’s then breakfast show presenter Johnny Vaughan.

The hunt for an agency follows last month’s merger of LoveFilm with arch-rival Video Island. LoveFilm now has some 450,000 subscribers, mainly in the UK, with some in Scandinavia.

Simon Morris, chief marketing officer for LoveFilm, says: “There will be a major increase in our above-the-line spend, including significant TV spend, mainly in the UK.”

In addition to its own-brand service, LoveFilm offers rental services in partnership with other leading brands including Sainsbury’s, The Guardian, WH Smith, Wanadoo and Five.

Earlier this year, Universal Pictures and LoveFilm launched what they claim to be the world’s first download-to-own movie service in Britain. Starting with King Kong, the companies announced that the initiative will enable people to watch the latest movies on their laptops, home computers and hand-held devices while on the move. Currently, films can be legally downloaded only for a short rental period, but this is the first legitimate means of downloading and owning a movie release.

Initially, 35 Universal films will be available on the service, including Love Actually, Bourne Supremacy, Nanny McPhee, Bridget Jones and Pride and Prejudice.