Beatthatquote.com picks Leagas Delaney for 20m account

Price comparison website Beatthatquote.com has appointed Leagas Delaney London to handle its UK advertising ahead of ambitious growth plans. It is worth an estimated £20m.

The agency pitched against Crossing O’Sullivan, The Bottom Line and Claydon Heeley for the integrated advertising business. It is thought that incumbent Muir Howard did not repitch.

Beatthatquote.com was launched in February 2005by chief executive John Paleomylites.

It offers consumers the ability to search for and compare quotes and rates on financial products. Its rivals include Moneysupermarket.com and Gocompare.com.

Beatthatquote.com was the fastest growing UK website ahead of Facebook last year, according to Nielsen Online data, which showed that the website increased its UK audience by 1,165% to 392,000 users over the year.

It appointed M2M to handle its media planning and buying account earlier inthe year.

In February, the company announced that it was looking to expand its proposition into travel comparison, as well as seeking partners in the shopping, property, motoring and communications sectors.

It launched its first ad last year, featuring a group of insurers in a boxing ring looking for that “Knock-out quote”, with the strapline “Fighting for lower prices”.

The next work, expected to be launched next month, will build on that campaign.

The first work from Leagas Delaney will include TV, outdoor, press and online.

Managing director Elliott Moss says the agency has been briefed to establish Beatthatquote.com as thefirst “genuine” brand in what is “still a very immature market”.