More Than appoints Publicis director as marketing boss

More Than, the direct insurer owned by Royal & SunAlliance (RSA), has poached Publicis director of strategic planning Nick Scaife as head of marketing communications.

Scaife replaces Lee Mooney, who has been promoted to financial operations director for RSA in the UK. Scaife will be responsible for More Than’s &£15m advertising budget as well as direct marketing for the brand. He will report to marketing director Mike Tildesley. At Publicis, Scaife had been responsible for the agency’s financial services advertising, including that for rival brands Asda Financial Services and Zurich Financial Services.

More Than uses CCHM:Ping for its advertising, having moved the account from Ogilvy & Mather shortly after the direct insurer was launched in 2001 (MW March 7, 2002). O&M created the brand mascot of Lucky the dog, which has been a mainstay of the brand’s marketing. Its most recent television campaign shows a family with Lucky taking wrong turn and unwittingly finding themselves in the middle of a stock-car race.

More Than reviewed its media planning and buying account earlier this year, moving it to Universal McCann after a pitch that included incumbent Manning Gottlieb OMD.

More Than sells car, home, pet, travel and life insurance by phone and on the internet. It also markets a credit card sourced from Accucard, the specialist card division of Lloyds TSB.