Filofax briefs BLM Red to create fashion-led brand

Filofax, the personal organiser brand, has appointed BLM Red to handle its media planning and buying account ahead of a marketing push at the end of the year. The business moves from Goodstuff without a pitch.

BLM Red is now developing an integrated campaign that will focus predominantly on press and outdoor but it will also see Filofax move into digital advertising for the first time.

The campaign, which is due to break in October, aims to position Filofax as a more fashion-led brand in a bid to target women. It has already extended its range of products into small leather accessories and briefcases.

Last year, the company appointed St Luke’s to handle its advertising and to give the brand a fresher look. It did not have an incumbent agency and had not advertised since the mid-1990s, until last year.

It is hoped that its latest marketing push will appeal to consumers seeking an alternative to electronic devices. It claims that the rise in popularity of electronic devices has not had an adverse effect on its personal organiser sales.

The Filofax became an icon of the 1980s “yuppie” generation although sales slumped during the 1990s. The company was acquired by rival Day Runner in 1998 but sold it to Letts in 2001 for £17m. The UK still accounts for more than half of the brand’s sales.