Royal Mail appoints Arena Media and MC&C to media account

Royal Mail has awarded its media business to Arena Media, with MC&C appointed to handle media planning and buying for the MarketReach division.

Royal Mail has awarded its media business to Arena Media, with MC&C appointed to handle media planning and buying for the MarketReach division. The competitive pitch has been led by Ben Rhodes, Royal Mail's Director of Customer Marketing, with support from ISBA.

Arena Media has been appointed to deliver improved ROI for Royal Mail Group services. The agency will focus on responsive, real-time marketing for Royal Mail Group including Parcelforce Worldwide, parcels, stamps and collectibles and its data and online marketing services. The agency will handle planning and buying across traditional, social and digital platforms, taking over from UM London.

MC&C, the direct response media agency founded by Mike Colling, will deliver media planning and buying for MarketReach. Both agencies have been tasked with enhancing Royal Mail's connection with its business customers across retail and professional services, and to raise its profile with SMEs.

Commenting on the appointment, Ben Rhodes, Royal Mail Director of Customer Marketing, said: "Royal Mail Group services are more diverse than ever, so too are our consumers. The appointment of Arena Media and MC&C reflects our ambition to forge a closer connection with these audiences and to enhance the awareness of Royal Mail services as tools for business success."

Jonathan Harman, Managing Director of Royal Mail MarketReach, adds: "We've been working with MC&C for a couple of years and they've been brilliant. This track record of delivery coupled with their highly commercial approach to delivering growth made them the natural choice to take our media activities to the next level. We are very grateful to UM, and to their Managing Partner Tony Matson in particular, for their efforts on our behalf."

Henry Daglish, Managing Director at Arena Media, added: "Royal Mail is at a key moment in its evolution, and as an agency committed to being an agent of change for growth, we're delighted to be working with them to help the brand change and grow. It is a fascinating business with so much potential that we can't wait to unlock."

Mike Colling, Founder and Chief Executive of MC&C, commented: "Royal Mail is the third largest media owner in the UK after Google and ITV, and is now growing again after many years of decline. We have been part of the team that has created the strategic framework that laid the foundations for that growth and are delighted to continue our work with Royal Mail, having been appointed to implement the media planning and buying for the MarketReach division. To create growth for a £1bn media owner after years of decline; is there a better brief for our growth agency?"

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For more information contact:
Claire Burgess on 07753 461658 or claire.burgess@royalmail.com

About Royal Mail plc
Royal Mail plc is the parent company of Royal Mail Group Limited, the leading provider of postal and delivery services in the UK and the UK's designated universal postal service provider. UK Parcels, International and Letters ("UKPIL") comprises the company's UK and international parcels and letters delivery businesses operating under the "Royal Mail" and "Parcelforce Worldwide" brands. Through the Royal Mail Core Network, the company delivers a one-price-goes-anywhere service on a range of parcels and letters products. Royal Mail has the capability to deliver to more than 29 million addresses in the UK, six days a week (excluding UK public holidays). Parcelforce Worldwide operates a separate UK network which collects and delivers express parcels. Royal Mail also owns General Logistics Systems (GLS) which operates one of the largest ground-based, deferred parcel delivery networks in Europe.

About Arena Media
Founded in 1990, Arena Media is a fully integrated media planning and buying agency. Arena is the UK operation of the global Arena Network, the fastest growing division of Havas. Arena Media has been growing consistently in recent years, with turnover increasing by 25% in 2013. The agency also launched three new divisions in 2013: Content Marketing, Conversion, and Data Consultancy. In the UK the agency has a team of 145. Long-term clients include Domino's Pizza, Eurostar, Haven, Legal & General and Westfield. More recent clients include Flight Centre, Vapestick, All Leisure Group, American Express, Betfair and LG.

About MC&C
MC&C is a performance Media Agency providing clients with sustainable growth and smart business solutions through services such as business modelling, analytics, media planning and buying, CRO and CRM. MC&C work with a number of leading clients including Royal Mail, Oxfam, Which? and Warner Leisure Hotels.