Freud Communications, Henry’s House and Taylor Herring have been shortlisted to battle it out to represent UK TV’s night of nights, which was marred this year by journalists’ criticisms of how the pressroom was managed.
Reporters claimed to have been locked in the pressroom without mobile phone reception, prompting The Times to write a letter of complaint to BAFTA.
Trimedia cited the account’s lack of profitability as its reason not to repitch.
‘We took it on seven years ago as MacLaurin Media when we had specific expertise in red-carpet events and celebrities, and while it was of great value as a positioning client, it has always been overserviced,’ said Trimedia MD Vikki Stace.
She said the agency does not specialise in the media sector as MacLaurin did before it was integrated under the Trimedia banner in April. However, it does retain the BAFTA Children’s Awards account.
Much of MacLaurin’s media industry experience dissipated when founder Brian MacLaurin and MD Ian Monk walked out of the Huntsworth-owned agency last year.
MacLaurin, who is precluded from pitching for the account by the terms of his settlement deal that runs until June 2005, could not comment.
BAFTA PR and marketing officer Tara Davies is running the pitch.
The remit includes pre-publicity, the announcement of nominations, and media management at the April event.
