Parcelforce Worldwide appoints Promodus to direct marketing roster

Parcelforce Worldwide has appointed Promodus to its direct marketing roster to handle a project aimed at increasing the company’s customers.

Promodus, which specialises in advocacy marketing, has created a campaign for the Royal Mail-owned brand to generate referrals from its most-satisfied business customers. The activity breaks this month and continues into the New Year.

Parcelforce head of marketing services Heather Bayliss says: “In a market with increasing competition, advocacy marketing is critical for us because it allows us to secure and exploit our loyal users.”

Promodus was appointed to the roster without a pitch, but the news follows speculation about a review of Parcelforce’s direct marketing roster last year.

The company was thought to be in talks with a number of undisclosed agencies about the account but a full-scale review has not yet begun.

Parcelforce has worked with Craik Jones Watson Mitchell Voelkel since February 2004, when it picked up the business alongside sister advertising agency Abbott Mead Vickers.BBDO.

But Bayliss says that the company has not done any work with Craik Jones in the past year. She refuses to comment on rumours of a review.

Royal Mail started the long-anticipated review of its #40m media planning and buying account last month, as first predicted in Marketing Week (MW July 20). The review is being overseen by the company’s group marketing director, Alex Batchelor, who joined from Orange last year (MW April 21, 2005). Royal Mail is also looking for an agency to handle communications planning.