Post Office preps agency review

New Post Office marketing chief Pete Markey appears to have barely got his feet under the desk before running the slide-rule over the organisation’s agencies, despite the current contract running until May next year.
The state-owned business, which falls under the Government’s creative framework, has informed the agencies which handle its direct, digital and advertising accounts about an initial meeting due to be held in May.
FCB Inferno – formerly DraftFCB – has held the direct and digital brief since 2004, last retaining the account in a competitive pitch against OgilvyOne and TMW in 2010. Dare is likely to be the big loser on the business as it still holds the ad account, but was not selected to be on the Government’s roster of creative agencies set up last year.
A Post Office spokesman said: “We’re not currently running a pitch process and current arrangements are in place until the summer of 2015, in line with our PPL obligations.” However, he said the organisation was “investigating the most appropriate options” for when it does pitch.
Markey joined the Post Office last month from RSA, where he had been since 2006, initially joining the More Th>n division. He was promoted to spearhead the marketing across RSA’s entire UK business in May 2011, following the departure of Clare Sheikh who left without a job to go to.
At the time, an RSA spokesman said the business had not yet decided whether it will directly replace Markey, adding that it is currently reviewing the central marketing structure.
The Post Office recently launched a search for three data companies – and a data broker – to help it get closer to its customers through the use of advanced data analytics, for two separate contracts worth a combined £11m.

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