PayPal hires Rapp as rivals loom

PayPal is understood to have hired Rapp as its first retained direct and digital marketing agency in the UK, as the online payment firm strives to fend off a mounting challenge from new kids on the block.
The review, run through Creativebrief, started in November last year and will see Rapp take over the entire UK DM account; previously PayPal used agencies on a project basis.
The online payment market is becoming increasingly competitive with the advent of mobile phone schemes, although some potential rivals – most notably Weve – have found it a difficult nut to crack.
Weve partners EE and Vodafone recently pulled out of the venture, citing issues with the mobile payment market. O2 is now the sole company in the initiative.
Meanwhile, the Payment Council recently launched its own service – Paym – which enables customers to pay for goods from existing mobile banking or payment apps. Zapp is also due to launch, with former Capital One marketing chief Justin Basini heading up the firm’s marketing operation.
Even Apple is making a major play for a slice of the action through its Apple Pay programme, unveiled earlier this year.
PayPal is due to split from parent eBay later this year and become a public company in its own right. The firm is believed to be planning a major marketing offensive to stave off the competition and ensure it retains market share.
No-one at Rapp or PayPal was available for comment for DecisionMarketing.