Government plans to create online ad roster
The Government is preparing to set up its first creative and media roster for online advertising to reflect its increasing spend on new media.
The spend on online advertising tripled in the past two years. This year, the Government is expected to spend about £4m on the medium.
The appointment of the new roster, which will be made in April, will be overseen by COI Communications (COI).
It plans to have several agencies on its roster for online creative work, but will appoint only one agency to handle the online planning and buying. The new roster will be announced in April.
MediaVest handles the COI’s TV media planning and buying; OMD UK handles radio; cinema is handled through Universal McCann; MediaCom handles press and Portland deals with outdoor media.
COI director of digital media, Jamie Galloway, says: “The market has changed dramatically since we set up the new media roster in 2000. There has been consolidation within the industry and a sharp growth in the number of online government campaigns.
“Under the new arrangement we will achieve greater economies of scale through a single buyer.”
Recent COI online campaigns include advertising for police recruitment, the Department of Health’s campaign on adult sexual health and the Inland Revenue’s self assessment campaign.
The new roster will be advertised through the Official Journal of the European Communities.
