Air Miles hires Nexus for consumer comms brief

Nexus was appointed after a competitive pitch against two undisclosed agencies, on a remit to promote Air Miles, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of British Airways, to the consumer media.

An Air Miles spokesman said the brand wanted to be perceived as a travel company, moving away from its heritage as a loyalty scheme aimed at frequent flyers.

The spokesman added: ‘Air Miles is all about travel and that is our point of difference from other loyalty schemes.’

Fees for the ongoing retainer account are understood to be in the region of £200,000.

In addition to points gained through flying with BA or Air Miles partner airlines, points can be collected through outlets including Shell, NatWest/ Royal Bank of Scotland, Tesco, House of Fraser and Scottish and Southern Energy.

These points can then be redeemed against travel products ranging from flights to package holidays and short-breaks, plus insurance.

A seven-strong Nexus team, led by consumer and business MD Alan Twigg, reports to Air Miles head of comms Claire Keene.

Air Miles this week hired Kim Polley, formerly an account director at Brodeur Worldwide, in a role as partner PR manager.

Last month Air Miles moved its ad account from TBWA/ London to Grey, reportedly boosting its annual marketing spend from £2m to £10m.

This article was first published on PR Week UK