Coca-Cola's decision to award its £30 million UK media account to Universal McCann and BBJ/Carat must put some question marks over the much-talked about pitch for the £6 million Irish media business. In the UK, Universal, which has handled the business without a pitch since last December, retains the TV buying element while BBJ/Carat will look after media planning and other media buying. But an Irish pitch is going ahead with four agencies seeking the business. Des O'Meara and MediaVest are pitching, as are Universal and Aim/Carat.
The criteria for Agency of the Year are, as usual, based largely on business won/lost, pitches and increased billings from existing clients and, as with every year, agencies, especially those that have had a miserable 12 months pitch-wise, are dragging their heels about submitting an application. Closing date is today and entries should go to Marketing Magazine.
Paul Cash's prediction at this month's "Marketing in Action" seminar that there will be winners and losers over the next year in the online publishing business came true quickly this week, with the sudden collapse of Wowgo, the Unilever-backed portal aimed at teenage girls. Mr Cash is sales and marketing director of iVenus, Smurfit's website for women, so news of a collapse of a young women's site - particularly one backed by a company with pockets as deep as Unilever's - must be nerve-wracking. According to Mr Cash, iVenus is not expected to break even until it is three years old.
