Media Mix: BJL wins Silentnight pitch; Weber Shandwick; and more

SILENTNIGHT Beds has appointed Manchester-based BJL as its new advertising agency for a campaign to reinvigorate its brand following a competitive pitch.

Silentnight changed ownership last year, which was sparked by an administration process caused by its pension debts. US-based private equity firm HIG Capital bought the company’s business and assets via a “pre-pack” administration deal arranged by KPMG.

Its new owners are looking to adopt a fresh brand positioning strategy for 2012.

BJL managing director Nicky Unsworth said: “We are delighted to be working with such an iconic brand, and our mission is to ensure that it grows market share and remains at the forefront of what has become a highly competitive environment.

“BJL has a proven track record working on challenging tasks such as this, so we are really enthused about getting our sleeves rolled up and getting started.”

Silentnight chairman Adrian Fawcett said: “We loved the BJL team’s way of thinking and strong campaignable thought which we believe will provide longevity across all media channels.

“We are excited about the months ahead and look forward to working with this agency to see how its ideas come to life.”

Barnoldswick-based Silentnight has been in business for 60 years and has made more than 40 million beds. It currently makes around 1,800 beds each day. 

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PUBLIC relations firm Weber Shandwick has launched a division of its new brand experience agency, Creation, in Manchester.

The Creation brand was launched in London six months ago and pulls together  skills from across different disciplines within the agency such as digital, live events, film and design staff.

The Manchester office is only be the second in Weber Shandwick’s European Network to feature a Creation arm. It will be overseen by Creation UK head Dan Atkins, Weber Shandwick North MD Jo Leah and former Red Consultancy employee Leigh Brimicombe.

Leah said: “We have always had good creative ideas based on analysis and insight but had to pass the magic of bringing them to life through film, mobile, experiential or design outside of our business.  We no longer have to do that.”

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A new £27m city history museum in Bristol has appointed Manchester-based digital agency Code Computerlove to create a new website for the attraction.

Code also co-created interactive material with video company Centre Screen that is used in more than 50 ICT kiosks house within the museum, known as M Shed.

User-generated content can also be added to displays.

Louis Georgiou, Code Computerlove director, said: “The interactivity of the website extends the museum experience beyond the physical and caters for consumer’s appetite for sharing experiences, real life stories and engaging with organisations on a deeper, more personal level.”

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MOBILE apps developer, Ravensoft, has created an app for Accessible Event Promotions (AEP) that allows users to search for all accessible arts, community, cultural and leisure events in the North West – for example cinema screenings with subtitles or art exhibitions with sign language guided tours.

AEP is a not-for-profit company led by disabled and deaf people to promote accessible arts, community, cultural and leisure events. The app is currently available on the Android platform, but is being developed for cross-platform use.

Andy Nugent, director at Ravensoft, said: “We were very pleased to be approached by AEP to develop the app.

“We think this app will be an incredibly useful resource to many people and look forward to further developing it to include events all across the UK.”

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HOME shopping retailer Shop Direct Group has appointed Maccclesfield-based creative production and photographic agency Hangar Seven to its agency roster.

Hangar Seven’s first project for the retailer is home and leisure overseas location photography work for Shop Direct’s new Spring / Summer 2012 outdoor living range, which will be handled by Hangar Seven’s Portugal base near Faro on the Algarve.

Hangar Seven had already completed an initial project for the group, whose brands include Littlewoods, very and Isme, earlier this year.

Derek Boyles, creative controller of Shop Direct Home and Leisure, said: “The purpose of the initial consultation was to review whether cost savings could be made to our location-based work, which commands a considerable proportion of our overall photography budget. 

“Having spent time at Hangar Seven’s Portugal operation we were confident that it could.

“Our initial 19-day shoot has been a massive success and we’re looking forward to returning with Hangar Seven next month.”