Their eyes met over a media pitch ... Harlequin Mills & Boon and Total Media have embarked on a marketing relationship, after the publisher decided to find a new partner.
Total wooed Harlequin Mills & Boon marketing director Alan Dawson by conducting a test-buying campaign for him in South Africa - the publisher's biggest market outside the UK.
The agency has taken over press and TV planning and buying from Frontline Media. The account covers the Mills & Boon brand, the Silhouette label, aimed at 'younger' women aged 35-plus, and MIRA books - romance and thrillers.
'What we want is 'drip' and 'pulse' with a big bang in June,' said Dawson.
'The 'drip' element might comprise a few ads in several magazines throughout the year, while for the 'pulse', Total will buy space in ten titles in March or April, then leave it until August,' he explained. The likes of Elle, Essentials, Hello! and OK! are being considered for the schedule.
The 'big bang' element is a TV campaign that could include the sought-after Coronation Street slot - which Mills & Boon booked last year - plus spots on Channel 4 and a few cable channels.
'The brief is to remind past readers about Mills & Boon and persuade new generations to reconsider the brand,' added Dawson.
_1.jpg)
.jpg)
