±±¾©Èü³µpk10

Faulds Advertising has prised one of Scotland’s biggest advertising

trophies - the pounds 6 million Kwik-Fit account - out of the Morgan

Partnership.

The two shops took part in a pitch also involving the Leith Agency,

which was first held at Christmas. However, the Edinburgh-based car

maintenance giant was not satisfied with any of the initial

presentations and sent the agencies back to the drawing board.

Kwik-Fit is thought to have toyed with the idea of dumping its famous

’Kwik Fit fitters’ from its advertising but, after the first round of

pitches, the client changed its mind and asked the agencies to develop

new solutions which retained the fitters.

Faulds’ winning pitch centred on a TV idea from the new creative

director, Billy Mawhinney, and a press campaign devised by Jim Downie,

who stepped back from running the department last year. Downie created

the original ’fitters’ 15 years ago when he was at Halls

Advertising.

Dennis Chester, the managing director of Faulds, said: ’The Kwik-Fit

fitters have given Kwik-Fit great value. You tamper with such icons at

your peril, but we feel we have created a campaign which moves the

fitters on to the benefit of the brand and sales.’

Faulds’ appointment is effective from 1 May, although the agency’s

winning campaign will not go on air until later in the summer.

The loss of Kwik-Fit deprives Morgan of two-thirds of its above-the-line

billings. The agency had total billings of just pounds 9 million last

year (MMS).

The agency will keep Kwik-Fit’s fleet and TyrePlus Auto-service tasks

but there are already reports of redundancies north of the border.

John Morgan, the agency’s chairman and managing director, was

unavailable for comment as ±±¾©Èü³µpk10 went to press.

Media planning and buying moves into Media Faulds from CIA Medianetwork

Scotland, Morgan’s joint venture with Tempus. Kwik-Fit held a separate

pitch for the media account in which Universal McCann Scotland also took

part.