Post Office kills off ants in shift to celebrity ads

by Nicola Clark, Marketing 26-Sep-07

The Post Office is ditching its long-running 'ants' campaign in favour of a celebrity-based drive starring Joan Collins and Westlife.

The ads, which are the first work from the Post Office's new agency
Mother, will form part of a multimillion-pound campaign designed to
promote the role of the Post Office in the community, as well as its

portfolio of services, such as foreign exchange.

The activity was overseen by Post Office marketing director Gary
Hockey-Morley, who said it will form the backbone of a broader push.

'It will highlight our unique service and the broad range of
competitively priced products on offer at local Post Offices,' he
said.

The ads, which will break on October 14, will be set in a fictional post
office. Other celebrities lined up to appear include Bill Oddie and
Keith Harris and Orville.

The campaign marks a shift in strategy at the Post Office, which has
recently faced negative publicity surrounding government plans to close
2500 branches by 2009 in a bid to cut its current subsidy.

The Post Office currently has a network of more than 14,000 outlets in
Britain. It has been reported that managing director Alan Cook will
receive a £1m bonus if he brings the planned closures in on
schedule.