Publicis and Joshua share Post Office brief

Publicis and Joshua share Post Office brief
From CAMPAIGN, April 6th, 2001

By JOHN TYLEE Publicis and Joshua have been appointed to share the Post Office’s
pounds 15 million brief to sustain and build its brand and give it
more upmarket appeal in an increasingly competitive environment. The two shops will work in tandem to help fulfil the organisation’s
declared aim of becoming a top UK brand within five years. Publicis will concentrate on all above-the-line activity for Post
Office products including travel services, network banking, bill
payments and government services. Joshua, which previously worked on promotion of the Post Office’s
bill payment services, will handle all below-the-line activity for
the Post Office’s portfolio of products and services. Both agencies will work with Marketplace, the brand development
agency hired last year to concentrate on the Post Office’s retail
and banking brand. Publicis pitched for the work with Saatchi & Saatchi, CDP and Leo
Burnett. Bartle Bogle Hegarty withdrew at an earlier stage.
The appointments are in line with the Post Office’s intention to
become a modern and customer-focused brand in the run-up to the
launch of the Universal Bank. After benefits start being paid directly into bank accounts from
2003, the number of people visiting the Post Office’s 18,000
branches could fall by up to 40 per cent. ‘The Post Office has to convince more upmarket consumers that
there’s more to it than meets the eye,’ an industry source said. Among the services being developed is one allowing customers to
choose a Post Office branch from which to collect deliveries from
retailers. The advertising is also intended to alert potential partners that
the Post Office is looking for commercial tie-ups. Richard Hytner, the Publicis chairman, said that the new ads would
be ‘populist with a definite edge’.
Copyright 2001 Campaign.
Source: World Reporter (Trade Mark) – FT McCarthy.CAMPAIGN, 06th April 2001