Eurostar, the high-speed passenger service linking London and mainland Europe, has announced that it has begun the search for a roster of agencies to provide creative and advertising services across its core markets of the UK, France and Belgium. The ultimately successful agency or group of agencies may also assume responsibility for Eurostar’s international and emerging markets.

The pitch process is a consequence of Eurostar's strategic decision to introduce a more consistent brand personality across all of its different markets as the business prepares for the advent of direct, on-rail competition. In advance of this, Eurostar completed in September 2010 the transformation of its business from an unincorporated joint venture to a single, unified corporate entity. As such, Eurostar is no longer solely a three market business and with ambitious growth plans and an increasingly international outlook, the operator requires a roster of agencies which can execute the current brand strategy across all of its global, brand communications.

Agencies interested in participating in the tender process should consult the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) where the call for competition is published. Eurostar will select a short-list of agencies to take part in the tender process based upon initial responses to a pre-qualification questionnaire, and has set a deadline for these responses of 7th October. The formal pitch timetable will be communicated sometime thereafter and the final appointment is anticipated from February 2012.

Earlier this year, as part of this same, strategic process, Eurostar unveiled a new visual identity, itself designed to reflect the evolution of its business. More recently the operator announced the launch of its first pan-European advertising campaign set to air at the end of September, again
reflecting this new, consistent brand personality.

Eurostar's incumbent agencies have been notified about the pitch process and have been invited to participate.