Friends Reunited plans multimillion-pound ad push

Friends Reunited is planning a multimillion-pound advertising campaign over the summer, as the ITV-owned social networking site looks to regain ground ceded to its newer rivals. It is understood to have appointed Hurrell Dawson Moseley Grimmer to create the campaign without a pitch.

The move follows a relaunch of the site two weeks ago, when it scrapped its subscription model (MW November 1, 2007). It wants to position itself as more than an online school or work reunion service, to capitalise on the popularity of more general sites such as Facebook, MySpace and Bebo.

HMDG will create a TV, print and digital campaign to break in the summer. The agency is also expected to work on dating service Friends Reunited Dating and genealogy offering Genes Reuinted, both of which continue to be subscription funded.

Integrated agency Kitcatt Nohr Alexander Shaw (KNAS) remains its lead agency, working primarily on below-the-line activity.

A spokesman for Friends Reunited says: “We don’t talk about our media plans but, to avoid confusion, KNAS is our retained agency and we are working on a couple of projects with HMDG.”

Friends Reunited launched in July 2000 and was bought by ITV in 2005.