Universal McCann and Initiative Media are in talks about a possible alliance which would make them the largest media-buying company in Ireland with billings of more than £65 million (€82.6 million).
Both are members of the Interpublic Group and in the new alliance both would continue with separate business units.
McCann's biggest clients are CocaCola, L'Oreal and NTL, Initiative's are Diageo and Unilever.
Nineteen agencies attended the briefing last week for the £800,000 advertising tender to promote the upcoming census. However most were surprised by the Central Statistics Office's requirement that agencies include in their TV media plan not only the cost of a TV spot but its time and date. This is impossible given the pre-empt system and in any case it doesn't take into account more modern ways of measuring media.
One major agency has already decided not to proceed with the tender because it felt it would be too difficult to figure out what criteria the CSO will use in awarding the account.
Eircom was the biggest spender on outdoor advertising for the first nine months of the year. The company spent £1.6 million on poster sites while its subsidiary, Eircell, was the second-biggest user of the medium, spending £873,000.
According to Poster Management Ltd, roadside display values increased by 10 per cent year-on-year from £33.3 million to £36.8 million. Shortage of sites is still a problem for advertisers, but the new tender from Dublin Bus should change that. The tender is out for new bus shelters which could increase the poster site potential from its current 1,000 to almost 4,000.
