Express drops St Luke’s for The Bridge

Express Newspapers has admitted that it will not renew its contract

with St Luke’s, its agency of record, when it expires at the end of this

month.

The decision comes amid widespread industry speculation that the

newspaper group would review its creative account, sparked by the

disastrous ’full speed ahead’ ads for The Express, which show a busy

editor rushing through the newspaper’s offices pursued by her harassed

staff.

Instead, the Scottish agency, The Bridge, will work across the entire

group’s creative account, comprising The Express, Sunday Express and

Daily Star. The Bridge already works on The Express’s Scottish

advertising and has produced tactical TV advertising to run across the

UK.

St Luke’s was appointed to work on the pounds 5 million Express account

in January after Leo Burnett resigned the business at the end of 1998.

But the agency has not produced any creative work for The Express since

July.

Paul Woolfenden, commercial director of Express Newspapers, confirmed

that the contract with St Luke’s was ending. He said: ’The direction we

took required more tactical advertising. St Luke’s was not best suited

to that. We know we have an image problem. We may use direct marketing

to resolve this.’ Evans Hunt Scott is the newspaper group’s

below-the-line shop.

Andy Law, founding partner of St Luke’s, said: ’We are happy to sign off

with them at the end of the year. There’s no animosity at all.’

Brian Crook, the managing director of The Bridge, said: ’We’ve been

confirmed as the main agency for Express Newspapers.’

This article was first published on Campaign