Agencies on alert as TUI UK prepares to review account

JEREMY WHITE, Campaign, Friday, 15 March 2002, 12:00am,

TUI UK, formerly Thomson Travel Group, is reviewing its agency arrangements through the AAR and is preparing to establish a long-list that will not include all of the existing roster agencies.

The combined accounts of Thomson Holidays and Lunn Poly are worth £15 million in billings. Thomson currently works with HHCL & Partners, Mustoe Merriman Levy and McCann-Erickson Manchester. Lunn Poly uses McCann-Erickson Manchester and WCRS.

The pitch, being run by the advertising and media manager, Chris Gottlieb, has reached the stage of chemistry meetings with potential agencies.

The brief for the account will be to bring both Lunn Poly and Thomson together as a brand, possibly seeing both of the existing brands renamed.

Last August, the German company Preussag bought Thomson Travel Group, the UK's largest package holiday company, for £1.8 billion, and created the largest travel company in the world, Preussag-Thomson.

TUI UK stated in January that it would not be reviewing media operations as part of its advertising review.

TUI UK merged the marketing departments for its Thomson and Lunn Poly brands last week. The restructure is part of a review of the business by Peter Rothwell, the new chief executive for TUI Northern Europe, which has led to 400 job losses.

Recent advertising for the Thomson brand through HHCL & Partners has used a costume drama theme starring the fictitious lovers Fanny and Daversham.

This article was first published on Campaign