Pitch update

campaignlive.co.uk, Thursday, 24 May 2012 08:00AM

Tesco has picked the lucky contenders that will pitch for its £110 million ad account. JWT, TBWA Group, VCCP and Wieden & Kennedy are the successful agencies. W&K's involvement hasn't emerged until now, but it was on the original longlist. We hear that TBWA, led by its Manchester team, in particular shone at the chemistry meeting stage. Karmarama, McCann Erickson, SapientNitro and WCRS were all knocked out of the process, handled through Oystercatchers, after the chemistry meetings.

Tesco: Shortlisted agencies

The £50 million pitch for Tesco's rival The Co-operative took place this week, with CHI & Partners, DDB UK, Leo Burnett and Now presenting on Wednesday and Thursday in a process that is handled by AAR.

London agencies joined BBC executives and Breakfast guests in first class on Virgin Trains as they headed up to Manchester to pitch for an Ofsted brief that involves a web build project. The lengthy journey will have given them time to try to work out what the new government communications strategy meant for them and whether it was worth them getting on the train in the first place.

Media agencies are not optimistic that the £150 million global Shell review that was put in motion at the start of the year will go to full pitch. ZenithOptimedia, OMD and Initiative were invited to be part of the process, but sources believe that the client is renegotiating its contract with MediaCom.

This article was first published on campaignlive.co.uk