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COI Communications has given 14 agencies a place on its sponsorship

and sales promotion roster.

COI, the Cabinet Office body responsible for the Government's

communications, received an unprecedented level of applications from

agencies wishing to secure a coveted place on the list. Agency sources

suggest this was one of the most keenly fought pitches of the

summer.

The new sponsorship and sales promotion roster comprises 23 Red, Iris,

Triangle, Ignition, Marketing Drive, Black Cat, The Communications

Agency, Grasshopper, Market Tiers 4DC, Capitalize, Activate, Sponsorship

Consulting, The Forster Company and Joshua.

No traditional media shops with dedicated sponsorship departments were

chosen to join the COI sponsorship roster, despite a great deal of

interest.

"Sponsorship is an area of real growth in the public sector. This is

reflected in the new roster, which contains a mixture of specialists in

the areas of consultancy, broadcast sponsorship and sales promotion,"

explained Oliver Hickson, head of PR and sponsorship at COI.

COI was involved in its first high-profile television sponsorship last

year, with its tie-up with ITV's Trisha programme on behalf of the

Learning and Skills Council, and has recently renewed Learndirect's

sponsorship of This Morning.

European legislation obliges COI to review its supplier lists every

year.

The organisation has already reviewed its advertising, direct-marketing

and merchandising rosters and, in July, it appointed eight agencies to

handle its strategic media planning account (Media Business, July 31).