Scottish Executive appoints The Union to roster as replacement for Yellow M

The Union has been appointed to join Faulds and Barkers on the Scottish Executive’s roster of advertising suppliers.
The Executive opted to add a third agency to its roster in a pitch held last June, which saw the appointment of Yellow M. However, two months ago, after a failed MBO, Yellow M went into liquidation, forcing the Executive to look elsewhere.
Roger Williams, head of communications at the Executive, decided to re-appoint a third ad agency and revisited the unsuccessful agencies from last year's shortlist rather than inviting a new list of agencies to pitch for the vacant position.
Mark Reid, planning director at The Union, said: "We are all delighted to have been appointed by the Scottish Executive, one of Scotland's most prestigious accounts, and we look forward to creating communications that can touch everyone’s lives. We are moving into our new building very soon and this feels like an early house-warming present."
The Union’s new two-year contract will begin on 1 August and Williams hopes to allocate the agency its first task “as soon as possible”.
Williams said: “Clearly there is enough work to merit a third agency. Our initial plan was to provide more choice for Ministers and commissioning departments, and the worth of that has already been proved.
“We decided to revisit last year’s shortlist and re-interview the unsuccessful agencies, as the standard last time around was extremely high.
“I was impressed by the quality of The Union’s presentation and I think that they will be a good fit in terms of the overall trio of agencies.”
The media account, held by Feather Brooksbank, will remain unchanged.