The title is hoping to bolster its circulation in the face of competition from specialist titles such as Auto Trader, classified ad sections of regional papers and the growth of websites such as eBay that threaten the domain of its Loot.com service.
Loot, owned by Associated Newspapers, is shifting some of its advertising spend into direct to help develop stronger relations with readers and advertisers. As a result, Loot's retained ad agency Wieden & Kennedy is likely to shift to working on a project basis.
Loot has a weekly circulation of 125,000 and holds data on hundreds of thousands of readers and advertisers. However, it has not used this information to its full potential.
Liquid has been briefed to construct a database using information that Loot has acquired from consumers who use its paper and . Associated's aim is to gain insights into consumer behaviour. This information will then be used to develop more targeted direct mail, email and online campaigns.
Marketing director Jo Earl appointed Liquid without a pitch. 'We want to develop a new kind of relationship with our customers by taking a more informed approach to our activity and by investigating and understanding their needs and behaviour more closely,' she said.
Earl joined Associated in January from Universal Pictures International, where she was a team leader on an internal consultancy project.
Loot's advertising has been handled by Wieden & Kennedy since April 2002. The agency was tasked with moving the brand's image on from a source of cheap flats and cars.
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