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The Dell Computer Corporation has appointed Carat to its newly

centralised pounds 20 million home and small business media account

across Europe - and is now in talks with agencies about centralising the

creative account.

Carat has held the UK home and small business account, worth pounds 4

million, for ten years and it is understood that Dell handed the agency

the European planning and buying task without inviting other agencies to

pitch. It is believed that pan-European negotiations will be conducted

by Carat in the UK.

The creative account is held by Travis Sully Harari in the UK and by a

number of other agencies across Europe. It is thought that Dell’s

vice-president of corporate branding, Scott Helbing, is considering

Ammirati Puris Lintas, Euro RSCG and the Lowe Group for the centralised

task.

BBDO, which handles the brand advertising for Dell in the US and across

Europe, is not thought to be involved in the talks. Relations between

Dell and BBDO are said to have been weakened by the departure of the

network’s vice-president, John Berg, who was close to Helbing.

Lowe, APL and Euro all have ties with Dell. APL won the pounds 50

million home and small business account in the US earlier this month

after Goldberg Moser O’Neill, part of the Lowe Group, resigned the

business. Euro handles the account in Asia.

A Dell spokesman refused to comment on the creative pitch, but confirmed

the appointment of Carat.

Neil Jones, Dell’s European account director at Carat, said: ’We’re

delighted to extend our relationship with a client as dynamic as Dell.’