Famtasy marketing league update

Setting the pace in the first month was Angela Casey’s Porter Novelli All-Stars, which scored 16 points after 1576 picked up the Swinton Insurance account and 1576bc started working for My Travel and VisitScotland. Limone also bolstered Casey’s points tally by winning work for Air Miles.

Also setting the pace early on were Iain Bunt’s The Craws, which also scored points for 1576’s business wins, and Graeme McGowan’s Yer Maw notched up ten points in the first few weeks after The Union launched a new strategic planning division and also for Limone’s Air Miles success.

Other major stories that saw teams score heavily included The Leith Agency gaining a place on the VisitLondon ad roster and picking up a £5m brief for Hotpoint and Rob Morrice, regional chief executive of Incepta Group, announced that Citigate Smarts was to launch a new design arm of the business in Glasgow.

Elmwood was crowned Scottish Design Consultancy of the Year, however none of the teams spotted their promise, so no points were gained from this. However, Navyblue’s strong performance at the design Consultancy of the Year lunch meant that teams such as The Craws, Dynamo Kebab and The Felt Tip Pens all scored points in February.

By the end of the month though Casey’s PN All-Stars still topped the table with The Craws and Dynamo Kebab in second and third place respectively.

March

March saw Casey’s PN All-Stars knocked off top spot by Bunt’s The Craws and Mark Gorman’s Bunter’s Punters climbed into third place with Peter Scott’s Lucid climbing to fourth. The Craws picked up 12 points this month to take its tally to 28 after scoring for The Big Partnership opening a new office in Inverness and 1576 picking up work for the Scottish Borders New Ways Partnership.

Caseys PN All-Stars may have lost top spot, but they still scored points for 1576’s business win and McKinstrie Wilde’s winning website business for Stagecoach. Gorman’s Bunter’s Punters climbed the table with points scored for Feather Brooksbank winning Peroni and Fopp and the retention of Kwik-Fit business by Metis. Lucid came from nowhere to fourth place after 2Fluid decided to open an office in Barcelona and Metis’s Kwik-Fit retention. Other stories making headlines this month saw Hatch-Group become part of the global Trimedia network and Mediacom picking up the £750,000 media account for Texstyle World. Competing for the wooden spoon this month were Derek Graham’s The Monstars with minus one point after losing points for the departure of director Robin Hagman from Peach Digital and James Docherty’s Modernlifeisrubbish on two points.

April

There was a flurry of activity in April, however, Iain Bunt’s Craws still managed to hold onto its top spot ahead of Casey’s PN All-Stars.

Big stories affecting the league standings this month included the resignation of creative director of graphics Tom Maitland at Curious Oranj, which saw teams such as Graham Bucknall’s Are We Winning Yet, Natalie Munro’s Miscellaneous Skills and Derek Grahams The Monstars all drop points. The Bridge and Mediacom both won business from the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service, which meant teams such as Peter Scott’s Lucid and Dean Brock’s Drum Up Some Business both earned deserved points.

999 Design earned important points for Garry Hamilton’s Equator Rangers after winning the £500,000 Burnden Group business. This helped to push Equator Rangers up the table to joint fourth place. The Big Partnership rounded out the month by picking up the PR account for Saga FM and in the process earned further points for Equator Rangers as well as Ian Coldwell’s The Main Chance, which had climbed to joint fourth place, Iain Bunt’s The Craws and Stuart Petri’s Pickarsehole.

May

As Summer approaches the temperature outside was hotting up this month and so was the fight for top spot in the Fantasy Marketing League as Angela Casey’s PN All-Stars reclaimed top spot from Iain Bunt’s The Craws.

Points for Casey came as direct marketing firms WWAV and Advantage DDB were merged by its parent company Omnicom. After an editorial decision it was decided that it would be a positive move for both agencies in a shrinking marketplace and so positive points were awarded.

Limone also boosted Casey’s PN All-Stars points tally after winning the opportunity to launch a new website for Britannic Asset Management.

Other stories earning teams major points this month saw Tayburn acquire Newton.eh6 – a move that benefited team such as Mike Middleton’s Itchy & Saatchi, which leapt up to joint third spot with Ian Coldwell’s The Main Chance, Robin Williamson’s FST Thistle and Will Holt’s Of Good Repute.

And so, there we have it. Already two teams - PN All-Stars and The Craws - have built up a Celtic/Rangers-type lead over the chasing pack. But will the next few months see teams such as Itchy & Saatchi, The Main Chance, Of Good Repute, Bunter’s Punters and Equator Rangers able to eat into their lead? And will Derek Graham’s The Monstars and Pointbeing, managed by Simon Harris, still be fighting it out to avoid the wooden spoon? Tune in to The Drum’s Fantasy Marketing League each month to find out.