COI media agencies put on alert following independent review

COI media buying agencies have been put on alert following a review of the government department’s buying system. The six buying contracts will be reviewed and agencies will find out later this year whether this will happen in 2009 or 2010.

The news comes as Douglas McArthur, the founder of the Radio Advertising Bureau, announced the conclusions of his independent review of COI’s media buying. The review found that COI needs to “refine” its media buying process in a bid to encourage greater collaboration between its roster agencies.

A COI spokeswoman says that the department has not decided when it will review the contracts of its cinema, TV, radio, press, outdoor and online/interactive contracts but has confirmed that they will be reviewed at the same time. The six contacts are currently handled by Carat, which does TV and outdoor, Mediacom handles press, radio is through Starcom, I-Level handles online media and Posterscope handles the outdoor account.

Mark Cross, COI planning director, says: “One effect of this agenda is to extend all our current single media buying contracts aligning them to the new requirements.”

The report says that a key challenge for the COI is to evolve its media planning systems because they should not “exist in isolation” of its wider communications and should develop to take advanages of changes in the media.

COI’s Channel Integration Management team (previously Media and Advertising Service) will now develop a new strategy that will be introduced in phases. It will aim to integrate digital display and mainstream media and encourage more multi-channel ideas and opportunities. It will also work with agencies to develop cross-channel metrics and benchmarking as well as testing operation flexibilty and providing agency incentives to help integration.

The COI says it will work with it agencies and clients to bring in the changes.

Cross adds: “Initially we will be refining our planning and buying process to ensure greater dialogue and communication between our agencies, and in the medium term we will develop our communications planning resource to define best practice for government communications going forward.”

The review canvassed the views of media owners, agencies and other government departments.