Carat strikes gold as it beats rivals to £1.2m in contracts

The digital-centric Yorkshire agency won new business totalling £1.2m with the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) and Chester Zoo, both accounts previously held by companies in London and Manchester.

“We have had another great start to the year so want to tell the Yorkshire community about it,” said Kevin Cunningham, client services director.

Carat’s two-year buying contract with ATOC will focus on promoting the new range of national railcard schemes for 16-25 year-olds, senior citizens and family and friends.

Andrew Robertson, head of marketing at ATOC, said Carat understands “the true performance of different media” rather than “chasing the last click”.

Carat won a three-way pitch to consolidate Chester Zoo’s media buying into one agency.

Jennifer Tegg, marketing manager at Chester Zoo, said: “We are looking forward to working with them to make our budgets go further.”

The agency added new account director Laura Webb to support its growth in broadcast. The business now employs 35 people in Leeds.

Dominic Geary and Annette Armitage founded the company in 2003.

Mr Geary, managing partner, said: “In our tenth anniversary year I am extremely proud of how we’ve collectively developed our proposition to clients, ensuring we provide actionable insights which drive business value.”

The agency works with businesses including Jet2, Morphy Richards, Learndirect and Premier Farnell.

The office became part of Carat in July 2011. Carat is owned by Aegis, the London-listed global media group.