Business on the Move: Network Rail, Citroën, Morphy Richards and more

Outdoor advertising firm Primesight has retained one of the UK’s biggest outdoor contracts with Network Rail, which will see it maintain and operate more than 2,000 billboards.

Following a competitive pitch, the company announced it will build 20 new digital billboards across the network by 2018, including at Vauxhall and London Bridge.

Furthermore, Primesight will take full control of the advertising rights on the Network Rail bridges. The contract lasts seven years and is reportedly the most extensive network on offer in the UK.

Citroën, the French-based automobile brand, has decided to assign its global communications account to French advertising agency BETC.

The new account will be handled through a dedicated, integrated and international unit named TRACTION, led by Bertille Toledano and Stephane Xiberras, president of BETC Paris.

Morphy Richards, the kitchen and home appliances brand, appointed J Walter Thompson as its creative agency. The agency will lead the development of all the brand campaigns for Morphy Richards in India. The account will be handled out of the agency’s Mumbai office.

In addition, JWT design has also bagged the brand identity and packaging mandate for the brand.

Wightlink, the ferry travel company, has appointed Soul to establish the firm as the preferred choice for trips between the Isle of Wight and the mainland.

The agency was hired by Wightlink after a pitch and has been briefed with creating a new programme of communications across multiple channels including email, press, digital banners and Facebook. The campaign brings to life Wightlink’s existing brand proposition and aims to build a new emotional connection between the company and its customers.

Newcastle independent agency SHA, Formerly Stark Hartley Atkinson, has been appointed to handle the communications for the 2019 World Transplant Games to be held in Newcastle Gateshead.

The agency has already produced two films for the organisers and will be delivering sponsorship tools and assets over the coming months. SHA is also involved in delivering creative experiential solutions for the games themselves.

Little Miracles chose start-up agency The Clerkenwell Brothers to oversee its creative marketing and UK press office, with the agency's new PR executive Kassi Emadi tasked with expanding the agency further into PR.

93.5 Red FM has handed over its creative mandate to J. Walter Thompson India, South Asia’s leading and most admired marketing communications agency. 93.5 Red FM is India’s largest and most awarded private radio network.

Acquisition

Global digital agency Building Blocks has completed the strategic acquisition of Tricode, a supplier of customer experience management solutions. The move further strengthens Building Blocks’ technical capabilities and enables its expansion into new markets, namely the Netherlands and Macedonia where Tricode is based. The acquisition sees employee numbers at Building Blocks reach 130 and increases global revenue by £4m to £13m.

Media agency The Specialist Works (TSW) has acquired specialist TV and video advertising company, Pace Media. Pace Media will be rebranded to The Specialist Works and its staff will be integrated into TSW’s London operation. The Managing Director and Founder of Pace Media, Nick Illston, joins as a director and will report to TSW’s Executive Board.