Argos initiates advertising review as part of digital transformation plan

Argos has initiated an advertising agency review to deliver a creative idea aligned to its five year transformation plan – to Reinvent Argos as a Digital Retail Leader. The company will be inviting a selected shortlist of agencies to pitch for the account, including incumbent agency CHI & Partners.

Specialist Client/Agency intermediary AAR have been engaged to assist with this review.

Other marketing agencies, including Mindshare, The Social Practice, The Communications Agency and Razorfish, who work respectively on media buying, social media, promotions and digital briefs are unaffected by this review.

Argos is in the first year of the five year plan to transform into a digital retail leader. The four strategic elements of the plan are:

- Reposition channels – digital, catalogue and stores – for a digital future

- Provide more product choice, available to customers faster

- Develop a customer offer that has universal appeal, and

- Operate a lean and flexible cost base

Recently, new digital concept stores were unveiled which use digital media within the store more flexibly and effectively to show promotions, brand or lifestyle messages and customer service information, and the business is looking to innovate across other media channels.

Newly appointed Marketing Director Stephen Vowles said: “We feel the time is right for this review of creative ideas as we embark on a transformation of Argos into becoming a digital retail leader. We are changing and so are our advertising needs which will need to access a broad mix of traditional and digital channels.

“While 70 per cent of the population shop with us year on year, we need to attract some of our customers to shop more regularly, and become more universally appealing across our complete product range.

“We have a very good working relationship with CHI & Partners and this review in no way reflects their performance – in fact our current Aliens campaign is our most successful ever and customers love it. We expect them to be fully involved in this process.”

Sarah Golding, CEO at CHI & Partners, added: "As a key strategic partner for the past eight years, we are excited by the transformation journey that Argos has embarked upon and believe we will prove that we are the right agency partner for them going forward."

Under the direction of Vowles and his leadership team, the review will take three months and will be managed by AAR, to whom all agency enquiries should be addressed.

An announcement regarding the successful agency will be made at the appropriate time.

Source : Home Retail Group press release
www.homeretailgroup.com/news-and-media/news.aspx?smlbus=1519&article=5239