News International calls review of £30m media task

by Daniel Farey-Jones, Brand Republic 15-Jun-05, 08:45

LONDON – News International, which publishes The Sun and The Times, is reviewing its £30m media planning and buying account, which has been held by Carat for 10 years.

The account covers News Group Newspapers titles, The Sun and the News of the World, and Times Newspapers' The Times and The Sunday Times.

The media review comes soon after News International took the creative account for The Sun and The News of the World out of TBWA\London, ending a 10-year relationship.

A three-way pitch saw Euro RSCG London pick up the £20m account last week, after beating off competition from Saatchi & Saatchi and Publicis.

Carat has been invited to pitch for what News International says is a varied brief, focusing mainly on television and radio, but incorporating all elements of the marketing mix including posters, online and planning.

Richard Webb, News Group Newspapers general manager, said: "Carat has served us well during the last 10 years but, for corporate and commercial reasons, we feel the time has come to review our options in order to ensure that our media planning and buying remain as competitive as possible."

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