Direct Line puts DM account out to pitch

Direct Line, the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS)-owned general insurance brand, is putting its multimillion pound direct marketing account up for pitch. The review is being handled through intermediary Creative Brief. It is thought the insurance

Direct Line, the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS)-owned general insurance brand, is putting its multimillion pound direct marketing account up for pitch. The review is being handled through intermediary Creative Brief. It is thought the insurance company’s below-the-line agency of record Finex will be invited to repitch.

The review coincides with a &£15m direct marketing review at parent company RBS, which is looking to cut the combined RBS and NatWest roster down from five agencies to two in an attempt to achieve greater efficiency. Tequila/Manchester and Lida are tipped to emerge victorious.

The two reviews are unconnected.

A Direct Line spokesman has confirmed it is in talks with Creative Brief about pitching the account, which is believed to be worth several million pounds. Direct Line, which is the country’s largest private motor insurer, also provides home, pet and holiday insurance as well as mortgages, savings and loans products.

In November last year, Direct Line handed the bulk of its &£35m creative business to M&C Saatchi, an RBS roster agency, a year after the account was won by Clemmow Hornby Inge (MW November 3, 2005).

Direct Line was the first telephone-based insurance firm to be launched in the UK – in 1985 – by Peter Wood, who now heads rival eSure.