The prestigious Aer Lingus creative advertising account looks set to be awarded to Dublin agency Rothco, following a competition among leading agencies. The account is said to be worth around €1 million.
Aer Lingus is expected to enter into final negotiations with Rothco shortly and the deal could be signed within days.
Rothco is one of the fastest-growing agencies in Dublin, with a reputation for bringing new perspectives to established brands. The company recently won the Murphys contract from giant British agency BBH.
Aer Lingus is expected to begin a major advertising campaign later this year, particularly targeting the US market. It is expected to emphasise its aerlingus.com website, which is selling up to 40 per cent of the airline's tickets.
Aer Lingus is believed to be investing about €5 million in the creative and media-buying accounts. Rothco has won the creative element, with the media-buying contract to be awarded at a later date.
The five agencies that made the final creative shortlist were Rothco, Irish International, the Larkin Partnership, McCann Erickson and Cawley Nea. Irish International was the incumbent agency and the loss of such a high-profile account will come as a blow.
While the Aer Lingus account is not particularly significant in financial terms, agencies regard it as a high-profile account that can create opportunities elsewhere.
Aer Lingus has altered its marketing strategy since the September 11th terrorist attacks in the United States, with less emphasis on time-honoured symbols such as the shamrock and more emphasis on low fares via its website.
Set up in 1995, Rothco is a relatively small agency, which has undergone major growth in the past three years. Its client list includes Bank of Ireland, Coca-Cola, Glanbia, Murphys, Lifestyle Sports, Nissan and the Sunday World.
The agencies short-listed for the media-buying account are believed to be Mindshare, Mediavest, OMD and AIM Carat. All four already have a strong presence in the media-buying and planning sector, although AIM Carat recently became the biggest spender in print media in the State.
