Frame to battle on despite Bulmers set back
Loss of cider brand Bulmer's will leave a hole at the agency says Frame boss O'Donnell
The business loss comes after a pitch and research process that concluded late in January, which saw Heineken opt to move its £5m advertising account for its Bulmers brand to St Luke's in London.
Ironically, Frame won the Bulmers creative business in a pitch against St Luke's in 2006, but lost out this time in a two horse race with the agency.
Speaking about the loss of the account O'Donnell said: "We got the unwelcome news last week that we had lost the pitch to what was essentially a better idea from St Luke's.
"It is with considerable regret that the business has now gone and it will affect us in some way and leaves a hole here. What other agency in Scotland or anywhere for that matter wouldn't want to work on a brand like Bulmers? To describe it as anything other than a big blow would be naive and we will do everything we possibly can to avoid making any job cuts as a result of this."
O'Donnell added: "We are proud of the work we presented but on the day we were beaten fair and square by a better idea. We wish the team at Heineken the very best and hope this campaign will be a huge success for them."
Speaking of the move Sanjay Patel, brands director - cider at Heineken UK, said: "Frame's work on the brand has made a significant contribution to the success of Bulmers since we re-launched the brand in 2007. We are delighted to be extending our relationship with St Luke's. They have a deep understanding of the cider category and demonstrated this in their pitch."
During its tenure Frame created some well regarded creative work for the brand, which included the 'swimming bottle' TV ad and the British Summertime' poster work.
Only recently Frame picked up new business from sandwich shop chain O'Briens, which went some way to replacing the income that was lost when the agency's former longstanding client Subway took its business south.