MEDIA: BK shifts planning into APL

Ammirati Puris Lintas has snatched the media planning for Burger

King’s pounds 12m advertising account from The Media Centre.

The move follows DMB&B’s loss of the Burger King creative account to APL

in February.

John Prior, Burger King’s marketing director for Europe, the Middle-East

and Africa, said: ’It makes sense to align the planning with the

creative.’ When asked about the media buying, currently handled by

Zenith Media, he said: ’We have no intention of changing that at

all.’

Last year Burger King spent pounds 6m on advertising in the UK

(Register-MEAL), but has said that this year’s spend will be almost

double that.

The Burger King win comes just weeks after APL’s media department picked

up the pan-European planning for Compaq computers.

Together they more than plug the gap left by the loss of Lever Europe’s

strategic media planning to Initiative Media and the CIA Group, revealed

on Marketing Online last week.

The account moves follow major changes in Burger King’s senior

management.

The UK marketing director role formerly occupied by Samantha Smith has

been axed and Prior has replaced Keith Snelgrove as marketing director

for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

In April, the fast-food giant ditched the wacky style of recent

commercials.

Earlier this month, it lifted its ban on British beef.

This article was first published on Marketing