DDFH&B, Krow Communications in London and the Amsterdam-headquartered Kessel Kramer have been shortlisted for the Aer Lingus creative account.
The account, which went out to pitch two months ago, is currently handled by Irish International.
Industry sources expressed surprise that there wasn’t at least one other indigenous Irish agency on the shortlist. A final decision on who wins the account is likely to be made by mid-November.
As Ireland’s largest agency group, DDFH&B is seen by many within the industry as the favourite. In the past, however, the London-based VCCP agency held the creative account after it beat off a number of Irish agencies in the pitch process. The next time the account went out to pitch Irish International picked it up.
With an estimated spend in the order of €3.0m a year, it is a prestigious account for any agency to have and the outcome of what is likely to be a hotly contested shoot-out between the final three is being eagerly awaited in adland.
Headquartered in Amsterdam, but with offices in London and Los Angeles, Kessel Kramer’s accounts include brands like Tele2, J&B Whiskey, Absolut, Diesel, Net Jets, Greenpeace, Grand Marnier. For its part Krow Communications in London handles the creative accounts for the likes of Virgin Trains, Unicef, dfs, Unielver, Fiat and Le Creuset.
