Online value retail specialist Studio.co.uk has appointed MediaCom North as its exclusive media partner, vastly expanding the agency’s remit beyond AV media planning and buying to also include full digital delivery across PPC, SEO, affiliates, display, paid social and data strategy.
Studio.co.uk, which retails a variety of products from fashion to homeware and garden furniture, made the decision to consolidate its paid media portfolio, putting the entire £22.5m contract up for pitch. The brand previously used a roster of media agencies, including MediaCom who planned and procured the brand’s above the line channels.
MediaCom now has an additional £15m of digital media spend on top of the existing £7.5m annual media planning and buying budget. Its new scope of work includes pay-per-click, search engine optimisation, affiliate, display and paid social.
Having managed Studio.co.uk’s ATL media planning and buying from its Manchester office for the last five years, the agency has delivered strategic and partnership-driven planning and activation over that time. Earlier this year it brokered Studio’s sponsorship of ITV’s In For A Penny.
Studio says it has appointed MediaCom due to its integrated media approach and understanding of the data marketing required to deliver best in class activation across all channels.
Paul Cooper, chief operating officer of MediaCom North, said: “A key part of our pitch was to show Studio how we could drive a significant increase in sales and effectiveness, through better use of first party data within platforms, managing the changing shape of their audiences. Our unique ability to optimise the consumer journey, to ensure spend is maximised, is key to a business that has a mix of new and repeat customers, like Studio.co.uk’s.”
Chris Chalmers, customer and digital director at Studio, added: “The consolidation of our media buying was key to enabling the optimisation across all channels to deliver effectiveness and to drive our continued growth and efficiencies. We saw a lot of great pitches, but MediaCom really stood out. We have worked with MediaCom for several years and we are confident the team will do a great job for us in their new, expanded remit.”
