Mills and Boon has turned to Shandwick to help it pep up the image
of its romantic titles, as it mounts its first advertising campaign.
The publisher’s sales and marketing director Alan Dawson, who joined
Mills and Boon in May from Yardley, brought in the UK’s biggest PR
agency earlier this month to provide media relations support for the
relaunch.
’Mills and Boon is a British institution which everyone is always
interested in, but we have not been very active in the past in promoting
ourselves’ said Dawson.
He added that the relaunch was designed to let people know how
contemporary the books’ storylines and characters now are. ’Consumers
and the media have this image of the books that are way out of date,’
added Dawson.
But despite the image revamp, Mills and Boon books still steer clear of
any overt raciness. ’Our loyal readers like sensual tension without the
eroticism,’ said Dawson.
Shandwick was the only agency approached by Dawson, who appointed the
consultancy without a pitch.