±±¾©Èü³µpk10

Eurostar has made a dramatic U-turn in its advertising arrangements by

signing up Young and Rubicam to continue working on its creative account

throughout next year.

Y&R will work alongside St Luke’s, which handles the bulk of the pounds

13 million Eurostar account, including the high-profile branding

campaign aimed at business travellers, which features the French-born

Manchester United footballer, Eric Cantona.

Adam Dixon-Smith, the advertising manager at London and Continental

Railways, the owner of Eurostar, confirmed: ‘We have agreed to continue

our relationship with Y&R and have extended our contract to that

effect.’

Dixon-Smith added that the exact budget and nature of the business to be

assigned to Y&R had yet to be decided.

In April, St Luke’s won pounds 7 million of Eurostar creative

assignments from Y&R (±±¾©Èü³µpk10, 19 April), following the takeover of

Eurostar by the Virgin-backed consortium, LCR.

Since then, Y&R has continued to work for Eurostar on destination

advertising in the press and on posters, using the tagline, ‘Europe’s

just got closer’. Y&R’s continuing work on the account is expected to

focus on similar tasks.

The latest executions from Y&R feature inhabitants of destinations that

feature on the Eurostar timetable, enticing customers to come to their

towns. From Amsterdam, a boy extols the merits of his bike hire shop,

while from Brussels, a waiter recommends ‘the land of beer’, where there

are 400 varieties on sale.

Toby Hoare, the chief executive of Y&R, said: ‘We are very pleased that

we will continue to be involved in building the brand, especially in

such an important year for Eurostar.’

From 1 January, Manning Gottlieb Media will take over Eurostar’s entire

media account, adding the pounds 6 million worth of media business,

under contract with Y&R media, to the pounds 7 million work it won in

March.