Internet toy retailer hires BMP DDB and Motive for UK push

BMP DDB and Motive have picked up the brief to launch eToys, the US

internet toy retailer, in the UK.

James Bidwell, European marketing director for eToys, declined to say

who the agencies pitched against or what the advertising budget would

be. He has worked with Motive in two of his previous jobs - at Sega

Amusements and Carland.

He said: ’Motive is an extremely high-calibre organisation which has a

good blend of strategic planning skills and the ability to buy

well.’

Bidwell also said BMP had a good track record in solid brands which

would help him grow his business ’offline’. eToys, which has been

selling toys, software and video games online since 1997, will launch

here in time for Christmas. Campaign plans include outdoor and

print.

Motive has also won the pounds 2 million media brief to launch two

partwork products for the publisher, Planet Three. One of the

character-licensed partworks is aimed at children aged under seven years

and the other is targeted at families.

A test campaign will kick off next month in the West Country with

ten- and 30-second TV commercials, with a national roll-out in January.

The creative brief has gone to Humbug, which pitched against Hooper

Galton.

Planet Three’s managing director, Reg Wright, said that Motive’s

understanding of the fundamentals of partwork campaigns and its desire

to innovate helped it to clinch the deal.

He said he picked Humbug because ’they are quite new and young,

independent, hungry and imaginative characters. They understood the

brief and came back with good creative ideas.’

This article was first published on Campaign