MediaVest scoops £15m PetsPyjamas brief

MediaVest has scooped the &£15m European media planning and buying account for PetsPyjamas.com, Europe’s first online portal for pet owners.

The agency was appointed by PetsPyjamas’ owners Premium Petcare to handle the brand’s launch in the UK and co-ordinate it in France and Germany. Budgets will be split equally between the three countries. Private investors Chase Capital Partners has led investment in the venture.

PetsPyjamas is targeting 55 million pet owning households in Europe. The bulk of its marketing spend is devoted to the UK, France and Germany, which account for the majority of Europe’s &£10bn petcare market.

MediaVest joint managing director Chris Locke will run the account.

The agency’s remit will cover the company’s Internet portal site, its mail-order catalogue business and a planned interactive TV service.

The agency will work with Saatchi & Saatchi, which was appointed to handle PetsPyjamas’ advertising account, including strategic planning, at the end of last year (MW December 9). Saatchi media director Ron Mudge was able to recommend MediaVest’s credentials, having worked at DMB&B, MediaVest’s sister creative agency, for four months in 1998.

MediaVest business development manager Nicola Townsend says: “This win shows that clients recognise MediaVest’s growing experience in the e-commerce market. It also highlights MediaVest’s increasing strength in France and Germany.”