Coral seeks creative agency ahead of ad push

Olly Raeburn, the marketing director at Coral, has approached agencies directly and plans to have new arrangements in place by summer ahead of a major brand campaign.

Engine won the Gala Coral business in 2009 after a three-way pitch. The account is run through Partners Andrews Aldridge, which handles the below-the-line business.

Gala Coral appointed the7stars to handle its £3 million media buying account at the end of last year. The Engine-owned consultancy Edwards Groom Saunders continues to oversee media planning.

The company operates six businesses. Its primary interests are Coral, which is the third-largest retail bookmaker in the UK with a 20 per cent market share; Gala Bingo, which is the leading bingo brand with a 34 per cent market share; and Gala Casinos, which is the third-largest casino business.

Other gambling companies that are currently reviewing, or have recently reviewed, their advertising include BetVictor, Costa Bingo, Unibet and Rank Interactive.

Marketing activity in the gambling sector has increased significantly since the 2007 Gambling Act, which allowed casinos, bookmakers and online betting brands to advertise their services on TV and radio for the first time.

This article was first published on campaignlive.co.uk