Birds Eye Wall's, the frozen foods division of Unilever, is searching for direct marketing agencies to work on its brands.
Birds Eye is looking outside its current roster of agencies, and is starting the search with a pitch for ice-cream products.
BHWG Proximity handles direct marketing for Birds Eye, which normally goes through Jigsaw, the data consortium between Unilever, Kimberly-Clark and Cadbury-Schweppes.
However, Birds Eye marketers are keen to continue to hire agencies directly and want to appoint an agency that has not worked on Jigsaw-driven campaigns before.
Birds Eye is believed to have shortlisted Brann, HPT Brand Response and Joshua to pitch for the ice-cream work, which is thought to include the Carte D'Or brand. Pitches are expected to happen in the next three weeks.
Further pitches may follow because Claydon Heeley Jones Mason, Birds Eye's agency on vegetable and some other frozen brands, has parted company with Birds Eye. That agency also worked on a project to help launch the company's enjoy! frozen meal range.
Through the Jigsaw database, Birds Eye has access to information on millions of customers to help target its own direct marketing. Information collected from relevant direct marketing activity is then fed back into the Jigsaw database.
Birds Eye is expected to follow the pounds 20 million launch of enjoy! with other new product launches later this year.
The company uses several advertising agencies including Lowe Lintas, McCann-Erickson and HHCL & Partners. Its media is handled by Initiative Media.
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