Arun Sudhaman 13 Mar 2014 // 9:35AM GMT
LONDON—Amazon has hired three firms to its UK PR roster, after parting ways with the Red Consultancy.
The rethink sees the online giant divide UK PR duties into three assignments, the bulk of which was handled by the Red Consultancy for around 18 months.
One of Red's main areas of focus was Amazon's key Kindle product, while Mischief oversaw Lovefilm, which has been folded into Amazon's existing Prime subscription service. The company's music service was previously handled by Cult Brand.
All three of these areas — Kindle, Lovefilm and music — are part of a digital and devices brief which has been won by Bite Communications.
A separate review for Amazon's retail offering, including homeware, beauty, DIY and gardening, has been awarded to Unity.
It is further understood that the third brief, covering product placement, is being handled by Ideas Network. The three firms join a roster that already features Mission, which oversees Amazon's fashion PR.
The moves follow a series of competitive reviews that attracted several agencies, overseen by AAR.
While Amazon's dominance of online retail stems from its roots in the media and entertainment markets, the company's broad product offering and tech-savvy business model have helped it make rapid strides since its UK launch in 1998.
Amazon now accounts for 12% of all visits to retail websites in the UK, according to data from Experian. In the past year, furthermore, visits to Amazon increased by 80%.
The company's decision to rebrand Lovefilm is viewed as an attempt to overtake Netflix, by offering a one-stop service for digital streaming, DVD rental and books.
Representatives from the various agencies referred calls to Amazon, which did not respond to request for comment as this story went live.