£6m Rightmove changes agency

Rightmove.co.uk, the online property portal owned by Halifax, Royal & Sun Alliance, Connell, and Countrywide Assured estate agents, has handed its £6m creative account to Birmingham-based agency Wallis Tomlinson.

Rightmove.co.uk, the online property portal owned by Halifax, Royal & Sun Alliance, Connell, and Countrywide Assured estate agents, has handed its &£6m creative account to Birmingham-based agency Wallis Tomlinson.

Rightmove has more than trebled its ad budget from &£1.8m and has signed up former Arsenal and England striker Ian Wright for its debut TV campaign, which breaks in February.

Wright, who has also featured in Nescafé and Chicken Tonight ads in recent years, will also appear in a press and radio campaign for the portal later in the year.

Wallis Tomlinson beat incumbent agency Cogent and four other unnamed agencies in a review of Rightmove’s advertising held at the end of last year.

New PHD Compass, which has handled Rightmove’s media for a year, retained the business following the review. The agency declined to say who else pitched.

A spokesman for Rightmove says: “The TV ads are designed to be hard-hitting and memorable, driving traffic to the site during a busy home selling and buying period.

“Wright is a well-liked personality who will provide the right mix of fun, attitude and relevance to our ads. He has a very apt name and made many right moves throughout his football career.”

Rightmove appointed Ed Williams, former business development and strategy director at online mortgage comparison service E-loan, as its new managing director last month. He will develop financial services and other property-related features for the site.

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