Saatchi & Saatchi set to open Scottish office to service Royal Bank client?
RBS: Is Saatchi heading north to service its Scottish clients?
Rumours have reached The Drum that London-based advertising giant Saatchi & Saatchi may be looking to establish a Scottish office in the coming months.The speculation follows the appointment of Saatchi & Saatchi to the Royal Bank of Scotland’s advertising account earlier this year.
Industry sources have suggested that the Royal Bank could be keen to have an agency presence close to its Edinburgh headquarters and headhunters are currently said to be scouting for talent to staff the office.
It is thought that the agency has been having problems handling the account from London, with the workload involved on the Royal Bank account requiring constant contact between agency and client.
Saatchi is now rumoured to be looking to set up a small agency team in Edinburgh, most likely on the premises of the Royal Bank itself, to help the day-to-day running of the account.
If true, the new office will mark a return to Scotland for Saatchi & Saatchi, which previously owned legendary Scottish advertising agency Hall Advertising.
Sources within the Edinburgh marketplace have been split on the merits of the rumour, however. One said: “It would make sense for them to have a full-time presence up here, the Royal Bank is a big account and the Bank may want its agency to be nearby.” While another stated: “I think it’s unlikely. There had been rumours for some time that Saatchi & Saatchi were going to buy an established design agency in Scotland. But I asked around and basically had it rubbished from the very top.”
Nobody at either the Royal Bank of Scotland or Saatchi & Saatchi was available for comment as The Drum went to press.