There will be a few sweaty palms in two London agencies every time the phone rings over the next week or so as incumbent agency CHI & Partners and new pretender Now, set up by DLKW co-founder Mark Lund when he left the COI, wait for the result of the £55m Argos pitch. Unless they do it by email these days, of course.
Argos, owned by Home Retail Group which also owns Homebase, is the UK’s biggest general merchandise retailer and has adapted itself surprisingly well to the online era with its click and collect formula. The account went into review on the appointment of new marketing director Stephen Vowles from Labrokes even though CHI’s work had topped the Marketing magazine awareness polls in 2013.
The sweaty palms will include the 20 or so people who worked on the business at CHI although some will move with the account if it goes. CHI apparently pulled out all the stops in the pitch (wouldn’t you for what must be a handsome fee?). We’ll see.
