Streets Online, the UK’s fifth most visited e-commerce site, has
launched a hunt for a creative agency to help propel it into competition
with Amazon, the worldwide e-tail giant.
The pitch process is being co-ordinated by Lisa Spiro Associates. An
appointment is expected early next week.
Wieden & Kennedy, Walsh Trott Chick Smith and Fallon McElligott are
believed to have pitched for the pounds 1.5 million account in the past
few days.
Walsh Trott and W&K refused to comment while Fallons denied any
involvement.
Manning Gottlieb Media is believed to be handling media planning and
buying for the account.
The review represents a dramatic volte-face by Streets Online’s managing
director, Stephen Cole, who has shied away from spending money on
advertising and has instead built the site using PR and alliances with
other e-ventures.
The online entertainment portal has amassed 141,000 registered users in
its two years of operation and enjoys annual revenues of pounds 5.5
million.
Only Amazon’s British and US sites, Tesco Direct and jungle.com, draw
more UK visitors.
Streets Online last week unveiled a partnership with GWR’s Ecast
ventures that will provide the site with additional online links as well
as giving it a share in GWR radio stations such as Classic FM.
Such deals are made attractive by Streets’ unusual format of four
separately branded e-tail sites which allow prospective partners to pick
and choose which part of the company to ally with.
Streets Online has recently attracted pounds 12 million in investment
from BSkyB and Freeserve, with which it plans to fund its European
expansion.
A pounds 150 million flotation is planned for June.
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