The Home Shopping Channel has hired MacLaurin Communications to
handle the launch and ongoing publicity for its channel, Shop.
The account is understood to be worth around pounds 100,000 over a six
month period to March 1999.
The channel is a joint venture between retailer Littlewoods and
broadcaster Granada Media, and begins broadcasting from November 1998 to
1.5 million homes via digital cable, digital satellite and digital
terrestrial routes.
Littlewoods will provide the goods for sale on Shop, which will include
clothes, shoes, watches and home appliances.
The 24-hour channel has signed presenters including TV personalities
Suzanne Dando and Sian Lloyd.
MacLaurin will report to the channel’s commercial director, Karen Kidd,
and Shop managing director John Ellis.
Ellis said: ’MacLaurin’s knowledge of this specific market combined with
their proven track record of successfully launching TV companies to the
British media made them an obvious choice.’
The agency’s previous media launches include cable channel UK Horizons,
Talk Radio, Heart 106.2, and a relaunch for GMTV.
MacLaurin managing director Vikki Stace claimed that Shop would stand
out in the plethora of digital channels currently being launched. ’The
excitement is that it has the ultimate in-your-face content: high level
to high street brands.’
- MacLaurin Communications has won the account to relaunch Bradford’s
National Museum of Photography, Film and TV, which is upgrading its
exhibits to cover the birth of digital broadcasting.