O2 ANNOUNCES MEDIA AGENCY RESTRUCTURE

ZenithOptimedia selected to fully service media planning and buying for O2 UK, with Agency Republic leading on online creative delivery O2 UK today unveiled plans to restructure its media agency assignment to achieve a more consolidated approach to media planning, both online and offline, and deliver greater focus to creative campaigns. Following an extensive review of its media planning activities, O2 has chosen to move from Media Republic and centralise all planning and buying which will be provided by ZenithOptimedia. Agency Republic will continue to service O2’s online creative business. ZenithOptimedia, part of one of the world’s largest marketing services groups Publicis, has handled O2’s media buying for the offline sector, including TV and print since 2004. From April 2008, ZenithOptimedia will take on all online media planning and buying in addition to its original brief. Media Republic has handled O2’s online planning and media buying since 2002 and has been instrumental in helping O2 build its credibility within the online environment. Agency Republic has a proven track record working with O2 to develop campaigns that would build O2’s online business and, more recently, with the Favourite Place Facebook campaign generating one of the biggest community sites in the UK. Agency Republic will now focus its efforts on creative campaign delivery in the online space. This new approach to its media agency structure will allow O2 to benefit from a more united strategy and improve media commercial structures, which promises significant efficiencies. Sally Cowdry, Marketing Director, O2 UK commented: “The lines are now blurring between the offline and online media space and as a result we see the need to adopt a more integrated campaign for planning and buying. Alongside this core activity we also continue to be committed to our creative business and are very excited about working with both ZenithOptimedia and retaining Agency Republic’s creative expertise to achieve optimal results across the board.” -ends-