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Microsoft has lined up a number of agencies to pitch for a

pan-European, Middle Eastern and African campaign, designed to create a

more consistent image for the software manufacturer. The UK incumbent,

Euro RSCG Wnek Gosper, Joshua, Publicis Technology and two other small

agencies have pitched for the business, which will mark the first time

Microsoft has embarked upon an international campaign of this scale. The

business is separate from the main account, on which Euro RSCG’s hold is

unaffected.

Western International Media is to keep the UK media planning and buying

for Vauxhall, ending months of speculation that the GM-owned car client

was to centralise its European media into sister Interpublic Group

agency, Universal McCann.

Channel 5 is understood to have asked the Independent Television

Commission if it can reschedule its 7pm news bulletin to 5.30pm. The

idea is to fill the gap left by the move of ITV’s 5.40 news slot and

open up Channel 5’s early peak-time schedule to a more entertainment-led

format.

Jaffe Keating, which lost its pounds 4 million Waitrose supermarket

business 14 months ago, went into voluntary liquidation following a

creditors’ meeting on Wednesday. Its clients, which included BBC

Worldwide, New Zealand Lamb and BWIA, the Trinidad and Tobago national

airline, are being serviced by a number of former directors.

The Government is under fire again after announcing plans to spend an

extra pounds 1.75 million through St Luke’s on promoting the New Deal

programme for the jobless. The Tory opposition has demanded an inquiry

by the Commons spending watchdog, the Public Accounts Committee, into

the expanding advertising budget for the Government’s flagship

scheme.

The return of Benny Hill’s hour-long shows to TV for the first time in

ten years is being hailed by Granada Sky Broadcasting with a national

advertising campaign kicking off on Friday through national press, cable

and satellite TV and radio. The pounds 750,000 campaign has been created

by HPT Brand Response and planned and bought by Rocket, using the theme:

’Benny’s Back’.

Marianne Jones, the joint managing partner of FCB Direct, has left ’by

mutual agreement’. It is not known if she has another job lined up. She

was taken on in December 1997 to launch the operation alongside Paul

Schulz.

Both joined from Wunderman Cato Johnson.

Discovery Foods, which markets a range of specialty foods under the

banner of ’the pure tastes of the Americas,’ has appointed Court Burkitt

& Company to its business. CBC will develop a programme of consumer

advertising, database marketing and product sampling for Discovery,

which specialises in Mexican, Texan, Cajun and Caribbean food.

Nickelodeon, the children’s channel, has briefed agencies to pitch for a

new advertising campaign. The youth specialist, Magic Hat, created the

last campaign.

MediaCom TMB has scooped the newly centralised pounds 1.5 million media

planning and buying account for Mitsubishi Electronic and the pounds 1

million media business for the publishing company, Mollin Publishing,

which is launching two magazines early this year.

TriSystems, the IT consultancy whose clients include EMI and KPMG, has

appointed the marketing consultancy, Brand Beliefs, to advise on its

brand strategy. Brand Beliefs is run by the former Saatchi & Saatchi

vice-chairman, Hamish Pringle.

This article was first published on Campaign