Between the Lines: Carat needs some stability

Campaign 17-Jun-05, 16:43

News International might be reviewing its £30 million media account for sound commercial reasons (page 4) and to ensure its buying remains as competitive as possible. However, the recent instability at Carat, its agency of ten years, won't have helped the incumbent's cause.

Carat's senior management has recently changed. But potentially more worrying to clients is the sense of confusion surrounding the role of Mark Jarvis, Carat's head of media, who left the agency on secondment only to return weeks later in a wider role.

The Jarvis saga (page 1) can't have helped Carat's cause, especially when Jarvis is the man with overall responsibility for the NI account, not to mention being the agency's top negotiator.

Carat lost its press director, Tim Kirkman, a couple of years ago and, arguably, neglected the press medium by not hiring a dedicated replacement.

This is now resolved, with the appointment of Dominic Williams, but the lack of a senior press figurehead at the agency didn't look good, especially when one of your top clients is a leading newspaper company.