TMW picks up Virgin Trains brief

Virgin Trains is understood to have handed its digital and CRM business – previously held by Elvis – to TMW following a pitch handled by Creativebrief.
As part of the move, the train operator has decided to split its business in two, with Krow being appointed to handle the advertising account.
In total, ten agencies pitched for the accounts, including the incumbent. It is understood Lida and Weapon7 competed at an earlier stage, while Krow beat off Crispin Porter & Bogusky and one other agency in the final pitch stage.
The review was part of a tender process sparked by the extension of the rail company’s franchise, although Elvis managing director Tanya Brookfield may now well regret saying the agency was ““relishing the challenge of the review”, when it was announced in August. Elvis had handled the business since 2009.
Virgin Trains refused to confirm the appointments, claiming the review was still “ongoing”.
The company, which is a joint venture with Stagecoach and Virgin, has had its franchise extended to April 2017 after first awarding it to FirstGroup in 2012 and then withdrawing it when it uncovered technical flaws in the way the franchise process had been conducted.