Pitch Update

Six agencies, including JWT, Leo Burnett, Beattie McGuinness Bungay and VCCP, have been selected to come up with ideas that may or may not include an array of 70s and 80s cartoon characters in the vein of those used by the previous incumbent TBWA\London. A shortlist is expected next week, with a full pitch in late March. The pitch is being run by ISBA.

The pitch for CityJet, the London-based subsidiary of Air France, has experienced some turbulence with the arrival of a new client. The £4 million pitch, which was called in early January, has now been delayed with interested agencies meeting with marketers over the coming weeks.

The four shortlisted agencies pitching for the cider brand Bulmers - Adam & Eve, JWT London, WCRS and Wieden & Kennedy - had tissue meetings with the client this week. The actual pitch is expected in two weeks' time in a process being handled by AAR.

Agencies pitching for National Trust will currently be swotting up on their old buildings in preparation for the pitch that is scheduled for next week. Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO, Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe/Y&R and 18 Feet & Rising are in the running, and the intermediary Agency Insight is handling the process.

The new-business team at Manning Gottlieb OMD is probably feeling pretty smug right now as they were the only one to get to Guernsey for the Specsavers meetings last week. Sources suggest bad visibility meant one of their rivals spent hours circling the island before their plane had to return to the mainland, while the other's plane was cancelled. Luckily for Robert Ffitch's team, they decided to get to Guernsey the day before and so were actually stuck on the island for the day. We guess the other agencies (MEC and Vizeum) will be hoping that MG OMD didn't use the extra time to get better acquainted with Specsavers' business.

This article was first published on campaignlive.co.uk