LONDON — AxiCom, WPP’s technology specialist communications agency, has been appointed by Whirlpool UK Appliances as its agency of record to support press office activities for the Hotpoint and Indesit brands in the UK.

The agency has been briefed to deliver an “always-on, lifestyle communications plan in line with the trajectory of Hotpoint and Indesit’s growing brand equity” and to “deliver a press office communications programme that positions both brands as partners that enable consumers to focus on their families and that feeling of home love.”

AxiCom consumer technology director Maria Arbalova will lead the account, working with Whirlpool media and communications manager Sara Bazeley and brand managers Charmaine Warner and Kimberley Garner.

Arbalova leads the agency's influencer marketing practice, which was launched last year to create campaigns for B2B and consumer technology clients. 

Bazeley said: “We were looking for an agency that could help us drive consumer passion for our products and brands via creative campaigns and media engagement. Throughout the process, the AxiCom team clearly showed that they not only understood our technology, but they also know how to best engage with consumers who want to live their best lives.”

AxiCom UK managing director Rosie Bannister added: “Hotpoint and Indesit are staples in any home, and to be appointed as their UK press office agency is a huge honour. The combination of our creativity and skills at translating tech into stories that will resonate with consumers, was a winning formula for Whirlpool UK’s purposeful technology brief.”

WPP was appointed as Whirlpool’s EMEA strategic integrated communications partner in 2021, with AxiCom sister PR agency BCW leading on PR for all the firm’s brands, which also include KitchenAid, across 29 countries.