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Spokespeople for both McCann Erickson and furniture retailer MFI have rubbished trade press reporting that the client will be reviewing out of the agency come January next year.
The rebuttal comes in the face of reports in the London based PR press that McCann’s appointment last week was a six month only ‘interim’ contract. When contacted by How-Do and asked to confirm details of the account, a spokesperson at Bonis Hall, McCann’s Prestbury base, imparted: “What we’ve been given at the moment is an across-the-board media relations support brief. It would be foolish of me to say more… but this report about new agencies being lined up at the end of the year is completely inaccurate.” This was confirmed in a MFI statement released to How-Do shortly after the enquiry. In the written release the firm took the chance to clarify the matter, with PR manager Victoria Rézon stating: “We have appointed McCann Erickson Communications House to work with us on the development of the PR strategy of the business. McCann’s have extensive experience in the sector and provide a good fit with our head office PR operation. In addition McCann Erickson will work closely with the MFI in-house press office to provide consumer, corporate and trade PR.” Rezon went on to confirm: “Contrary to some reports there are no plans to put the MFI PR account out to pitch and there is no timescale for doing this. We have a robust PR operation in place.” Although exact details of the appointment have been difficult to confirm, it is believed that the PR brief was awarded to the team as part of a dialogue MFI was having with a different division of the Prestbury based outfit. McCanns PR was apparently brought in to provide media relations expertise and so impressed the client with their ideas that they were taken on separately. Industry observers may postulate that the opportunity arose as part of Universal McCann’s recent failed bid to collect MFI’s £26m media brief. It should also be noted that the new management team at MFI is led by Gary Favell, who was previously Magnet’s chief executive. McCanns and Magnet enjoyed a successful eighteen year working relationship until earlier this year.
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