Mecca Bingo x The Romans The Rank Group‘s Mecca Bingo brand is putting its PR account out to review, potentially ending a relationship with The Romans that began with a competitive pitch in 2023.
PRWeek highlighted the move this week in its roundup of the latest PR industry developments, listing Mecca Bingo among brands currently undertaking an RFP process.
The review comes roughly three years after The Romans won the Mecca account.
The Romans won the Mecca account in 2023
Mecca Bingo appointed The Romans in June 2023 following a competitive pitch.
At the time, the win was reported as part of a strong period of new business for the independent PR agency, which was also adding clients including Heineken, Candy Crush and Snapchat.
The appointment subsequently became one of The Romans' prominent consumer accounts.
In its own review of the agency's growth, The Romans listed Mecca Bingo among a long line of major UK retainer wins secured during the period.
The agency said:
“Our UK growth was a pretty mega 25%. Globally, our revenue grew a ridiculous 83%.”
It also described the Mecca appointment as one of dozens of sizeable UK retainer wins secured during what it called its best year for new business.
Why the timing is significant for Mecca
The PR review comes at a particularly important point for Mecca and its parent company Rank Group.
Mecca has been undergoing significant change across its retail estate, including a programme of investment and venue closures as Rank attempts to reshape the business.
Rank's latest results showed Mecca's like-for-like net gaming revenue rose 4% to £143 million, while underlying profit more than doubled from £4.3 million to £8.9 million. The company attributed the improvement in part to the abolition of bingo duty during the financial year.
At the same time, Rank has continued to reduce the size of the Mecca estate, closing nine venues described as commercially unviable during the financial year, with eight Mecca Bingo venues closing in June.
That leaves Mecca attempting to balance a number of competing priorities: improving the performance of its remaining clubs, investing in venues, responding to changing customer behaviour and making the economics of its retail estate work.
A change or review of the external PR relationship therefore comes as the brand is entering another phase of its wider transformation.
Has Mecca already ditched The Romans?
Not necessarily.
The current information indicates that Mecca is reviewing its PR account through an RFP process, rather than confirming that a new agency has already been appointed.
That distinction is important.
An RFP can result in an incumbent agency retaining the business, a new agency being appointed, or the client changing the structure of its communications account altogether.
No publicly confirmed announcement has identified a replacement for The Romans.
The review does, however, mean that The Romans' three-year relationship with one of Britain's best-known bingo brands is now formally being reconsidered.
A changing communications landscape for bingo
The development also reflects how PR's role in the UK bingo sector has changed.
Mecca operates in a market where traditional bingo remains central to the customer proposition, but operators increasingly need to communicate around entertainment, venues, social experiences, digital products, community and changing perceptions of bingo.
For Mecca, one of the UK's top bingo operators, specifically, that communications challenge comes alongside a significant operational story.
The company is investing in selected clubs while closing others, with the latest financial results showing both improved profitability and continued pressure on parts of the estate.
The next PR agency will therefore inherit a brand with plenty to talk about — but also a more complicated story to tell.
For now, Mecca's search for a PR partner leaves The Romans' future with the bingo operator uncertain, closing an intriguing chapter of the relationship while the wider review plays out.
Ben has been an massive bingo enthusiast and fan since playing at the seaside as a kid. Dedicated to bringing you the latest and best bingo news from the UK
