Jetset under fire over agency dealings MAria Ligerakis
CONTROVERSY continues around the Jetset Travelworld business with the company’s two rostered agencies—Cummins & Partners Melbourne and Paul McCarthy Advertising Sydney—reacting angrily to news that Mojo Melbourne is angling for the account following private discussions between senior agency execs and the client.
The news comes just weeks after B&T revealed Jetset Travelworld had stalled on key commercial deals, including the Flybuys scheme, reports that supplier relationships had cooled, and questions surrounding the future of its advertising account (see B&T April 16).
Cummins & Partners principal Sean Cummins said the agency was unaware of any potential changes to the client’s agency roster, or whether Mojo was chasing the business.
“It’s a very old-fashioned way to pick up business—through the back door,” he said.
“If [Jetset Travelworld] don’t consult franchisees then I would say they could have a revolt on their hands.”
Paul McCarthy Advertising MD Paul McCarthy said the agency had gone through “one of the longest and most drawn out pitch processes” to retain the Travelworld creative account.
“There was a lot of going back and forth, but at the end of the day we retained the creative account,” he said.
McCarthy said any moves on Mojo’s part to snare the business was news to him.
But an industry source told B&T senior Mojo execs had met with Jetset Travelworld CEO Joe Esposito and engaged in a private “review” of the account”.
Publicis Mojo chairman Ric Otten earlier confirmed there had been “some dialogue” between the agency and Jetset, but declined to comment on the extent and nature of those discussions.
Online site crikey.com has hopped on the bandwagon, with an anonymous letter posted on the site, which details an “uproar” over the Jetset Travelworld account.
Jetset general manager marketing Shaun Houston has not returned calls.
In other news, Virgin Blue is scouting for a New Zealand-based agency for its Pacific Blue account (Pacific Blue is Virgin Blue’s low cost international carrier).
