Orange picks agencies for new media

RAVI CHANDIRAMANI, Marketing, 06 February 2003, 12:00AM

Orange has hired a consortium of digital agencies to overhaul its new media activity. The brief is to make its online marketing more relevant to its 13.3 million UK customers.

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Roster full-service agency Fullsix, creative shop Poke and technical agency ETC will personalise orange.co.uk to deliver special offers such as upgrades, ringtones and other accessories and targeted marketing.

This is hoped to encourage subscribers to make more use of their phones and promote picture messaging.

The task is expected to involve a redesign of the site as well as online advertising. Poke was created last year by a number of the directors of collapsed online agency Deepend.

The appointments are not believed to affect AKQA's hold on Orange's digital creative account.

The shake-up comes as Orange has appointed Spencer McHugh to head its direct marketing team as senior manager, direct customer communications.

He is a former planning director at direct marketing agency MBO.

Last month, Orange poached Lloyds TSB's director of brands Georgina Smith to take up the new role of head of UK brand, reporting to marketing director Jeremy Dale (Marketing, January 23).

Separately, Orange has extended its relationship with literature, currently through the Orange Prize for Fiction, by linking up with human rights publication 'Index on Censorship'.

The tie-up consists of debates on social and political issues at university campuses.

This article was first published on Marketing