Symantec mulls pitch as it seeks creative focus

Gemma O’Reilly 25-Oct-07

Software security giant Symantec is set to review its UK PR arrangements in an effort to refocus its media strategy.

The account is likely to be put out to pitch at the beginning of 2008, according to tech insiders.

Bite Communications, the agency that has worked on Symantec’s PR for the past two years, will be invited to repitch for the business.

Symantec UK & Ireland PR manager Abigail Lovell said: ‘Symantec UK will undertake a review of its enterprise and corporate PR function in early 2008 as part of an ongoing effort to refocus its media strategy. The emphasis will be on ensuring the campaigns are creatively driven.’

But Lovell stressed that Bite remained in place as its UK PR agency and attempted to play down talk of a competitive pitch in the New Year. She said: ‘We are currently evaluating our PR for the UK. We cannot say if this will result in a formal pitch or not at this stage.’

Bite, which is headed by MD David Hargreaves, ins­isted it would not be affected by the review. The agency won the account in October 2005 following Symantec’s last review of its UK PR business, having resigned a brief for rival technology comp­any McAfee in order to work for Symantec.

Last week Bite won the sought-after account to handle PR for Facebook in the UK, following a three-way shoot-out involving Chameleon and Octopus. The brief is thought to be worth six
figures and will include consumer and corporate elements.

Bite is a subsidiary of the Next Fifteen Communications Group with offices in London, New York, San Francisco and Stockholm.

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