M&C to land campaign for London

M&C Saatchi is poised to take on prestigious new work for the London Tourist Board (LTB), which is launching an international campaign in the autumn to position the capital as the millennium destination for overseas tourists.

M&C will create work targeting the French, German and American markets. However, the size of the account is still unclear and depends heavily on how much money the LTB can raise from its partners.

Paul Hopper, managing director for the LTB, says: “We are talking to our partners to see what we can pull together. However, we have gone through the selection process and will appoint M&C Saatchi to do the work.”

The LTB is assigned &£1.5m from the Department for Culture Media & Sport to market itself overseas, and this money has to be matched by its partners, giving a total of &£3m to devote to marketing. But the LTB hopes to raise well over this amount for the push.

LTB partners include British Airways, cross-channel operator Eurostar, credit card company American Express and hotel companies Millennium & Copthorne and Radisson Edwardian.

The LTB has been in discussions with the New Millennium Experience Company, which runs the millennium celebrations and which will advise the LTB on the marketing project.

The LTB is keen to publicise a number of projects in the capital, including the Dome and the British Airways London Eye ferris wheel on the South Bank.