NEWS: Manning Gottlieb nets media in Eurostar rethink

Manning Gottlieb Media has landed the pounds 10 million media planning

and buying account for Eurostar, the Channel tunnel rail service.

The win follows last week’s award of the contract to run the service to

the London and Continental Railways consortium, which includes one of

MGM’s clients, Virgin.

Although Virgin only has a 17 per cent stake in the consortium - which

includes the National Express Group and the investment bank, S. G.

Warburg - it is using its marketing experience to take the lead in an

advertising overhaul that will also involve a creative review.

Bartle Bogle Hegarty, St Luke’s, Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe, Bates

Dorland and GGT have been approached by Virgin about the creative work,

but BBH and Rainey Kelly declined to pitch. Young and Rubicam, which has

held the full-service business since Eurostar’s launch in late 1994, is

also thought to be in the running.

MGM is expected to take charge of media, currently with Y&R, from 1

April, when London and Continental will acquire Eurostar’s operating

company, European Passenger Services.

Colin Gottlieb, a partner at MGM, declined to comment on the win, but

confirmed the hiring of Jon Gittings, a media planner/buyer at

Optimedia, to work on ‘a very large, exciting new project.’

Mark Furlong, the new marketing manager of Eurostar who was previously

at Virgin Atlantic, said: ‘London and Continental wanted to make use of

Virgin’s expertise in branding and the travel market. We are now in

discussions with Y&R about its plans, and we are talking to other

agencies about how we might go forward.’

This article was first published on Campaign