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- Tullo Marshall Warren has scooped Cellnet's direct marketing business following a three-way pitch.

The agency beat Barraclough Hall Woolston Gray and Stretch the Horizon to the task, after a review which kicked off last month. It is thought that TMW will assume responsibility for the business straight away.

TMW will be the first direct marketing agency to work with Cellnet since OgilvyOne split with the mobile communications operator in April. In the interim, Clarke Hooper, Cellnet's sales promotion agency of record, had been caretaking the direct marketing business on a project-by-project basis. A third agency on Cellnet's below-the-line roster, Devon Direct, handles the Cellnet First business.

A spokesperson for Cellnet confirmed the appointment -- which is subject to contract -- and explained that the agency will undertake direct communication to its tied customer base, which accounts for around 70 per cent of Cellnet's entire customer base. The remaining 30 per cent use Cellnet through an independent service provider.

Cellnet has recently been running a high profile campaign for its U service, a pre-paid account with no bills. Its above the line account is handled by Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO.

After striking a price-cutting deal with Asda last month -- selling both the U phones and the EasyLife packages -- Cellnet has been unable to provide the supermarket with enough handsets to meet consumer demand. Cellnet has since claimed that the problem has been ironed out, and expects to connect around 500,000 new users over the Christmas period.

Cellnet's marketing department has gone through a series of changes this year. In January, Ed Carter was drafted in from its BT parent by the then marketing director, Simon Esberger, who himself left in September after only eight months in the job. Tim Evans, who was Cellnet's brand director, also left in July to join BT, where he now oversees business and consumer marketing.