UK Royal Mail starts review of interactive business roster

Royal Mail is overhauling its interactive agency roster in a bid to improve its communication with customers. The new strategy follows an increase in competition from new postal service providers.

Proximity London was handed the bulk of the postal giant’s interactive work in 2003, but its three-year contract has now come to an end. It is not clear if the agency is intending to repitch for the business.

Omnicom-owned Proximity was appointed to replace Ogilvy Interactive following a pitch, and was given a brief to oversee the postal operator’s digital strategy, online advertising, e-marketing and a redesign of royalmail.com.

It recently launched its first foray into interactive TV as part of a #10m blitz to introduce “pricing in proportion”, which bases postage cost on size and shape as well as weight (MW July 6). But it is not clear if it plans to develop any further interactive services.

A spokeswoman for Royal Mail confirms the organisation is reviewing the business and plans to appoint a roster of agencies. She says: “We are looking for a number of agencies that will enable us to make the best use of digital media for our customers.”

Royal Mail has come under increasing pressure from new entrants, such as TNT Post, DHL Global Mail and UK Mail, after the deregulation of the sector at the beginning of the year.

Meanwhile, Royal Mail has announced a new roster of agencies to handle tactical design work across all of its internal and external communications. Home, Meteorite, Open Agency, Start Creative, True North and Rufus Leonard have all been appointed.