The first of Whitewater’s former clients has started the search for a new agency after animal-welfare charity RSPCA kicked off a review of its direct marketing account.
Whitewater, which along with the Involve Agency was put into administration by parent company Involve Marketing Partnership last month, had worked with the RSPCA for nine years. It won the business in 2003 from WWAV (now Rapp), which had held the account for about a decade.
The account is reported to be worth up to £5m, although given the financial plight of Whitewater, it is likely to be significantly less.
The RSPCA review covers DRTV, direct mail and digital elements. Its most recent DRTV campaign ran last year, and featured a dog abandoned in the rain.
Rival agencies have been on alert since last month, when Whitewater went under. Whitewater was a charity specialist and also worked for NSPCC, MS Society, Macmillan, and Breast Cancer Breakthrough.
It is not known whether these clients have been persuaded to transfer their business to Involve Marketing Partnership sister ethical agency United – headed up by industry stalwarts Elly Woolston and Duncan Gray – or whether further reviews are on the cards.
However, many charities work with a number of agencies at the same time so, given the cost of holding reviews, they may simply hand out the work to fellow roster shops.
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