25 March 2009

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has announced that top 20 UK agency Bray Leino is to be awarded the contract to deliver a fully integrated communication campaign for the 2011 Census.

The ten-yearly count of the population of England and Wales, which paints a picture of local communities and nationwide trends, is now just two years away.

The contract, worth up to £10 million, is for an agency to provide advertising, design and media buying services. Bray Leino was awarded the account after an open competition.

Working with its media planning and buying partner MediaCom, Bray Leino will create both an English and Welsh language print and outdoor campaign, together with TV, cinema and radio commercials.

The agency will also be involved in designing public-facing brochures and leaflets advertising the 2011 Census.

The census is a complex operation which involves collecting information from 25 million households.

One of the main uses of census data is to help calculate the money that local authorities are allocated from central government - so it's vital that the general public are engaged in the 2011 Census and understand how to complete and return their census questionnaire on Census Day on 27 March 2011.

It's important everyone completes the 2011 Census, so that the needs of all communities can be taken into account and everyone can play their part in producing accurate statistics to help their future take shape.

2011 Census Head of Marketing Oliver Doerle said: "We are absolutely delighted to have Bray Leino on board. We were highly impressed with their exciting ideas to take the 2011 Census to the country, through a variety of national advertising media – and with their take on the census brand."

Mr Doerle added: "It was a highly competitive tender, and the standard of pitches was extremely impressive.

"We were looking for an agency that could clearly demonstrate the benefit to everyone of filling in their census questionnaire. Bray Leino's grasp of this, together with their innovative ideas was hugely impressive and met all of our criteria.

"The census only takes place once a decade – so working with a top agency like Bray Leino is a massive bonus for our team in engaging with the public in fresh and innovative ways."

Bray Leino Bid Director, James Robertson said: "We are thrilled to be joining the ONS team working on the 2011 Census campaign.

"It's a tremendous opportunity for everyone here at Bray Leino and the kind of challenge we relish."