Rainey Kelly out of Virgin Trains pitch
Virgin Trains’ advertising agency, Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe/Y&R, is no longer in the running for the current business pitch.
The agency says that after discussions with Virgin Trains it was agreed that it would not proceed to the next stage of the pitch.
It is thought that the marketing budget at Virgin Trains has been considerably reduced following the train operating company’s loss of the Cross Country franchise to Arriva. It also failed in its joint bid for the East Coast mainline.
Rolling 12 month figures from AC Nielsen to the start of July show advertising spend of £2 million compared to a £7 million in 2006. TV spend in 2007 was £4.4 million and £4.2 million for 2006.
It is also believed that the brief is focused more on digital and direct work than above-the-line activity.
The pitch is being overseen by Virgin Trains sales and marketing director Sarah Copley, who was appointed last November.
RKCR/Y&R has worked on the business for a decade. It has developed a number of campaigns and attracted controversy for ads in 2006 that depicted a train being attacked by Native Americans. The Advertising Standards Authority cleared the ad of racism.
| Bookmark with: |
