M&C Saatchi wins ad account for new .xxx web domain

Maurice and Charles Saatchi's ad agency M&C Saatchi is about to get a somewhat racier new client after winning the ad account for the .xxx adult content domain name company. M&C Saatchi, which recently joined forces with the brothers' former agency Saatchi & Saatchi to celebrate its 40th birthday with a party that included Margaret Thatcher and John Major , has won the global account for US company ICM Registry. Run by US-based British internet entrepreneur Stuart Lawley , ICM Registry kicked off an advertising pitch after gaining permission from regulatory body Icann to operate the .xxx suffix for adult content. M&C Saatchi won the business after a competitive pitch against a number of other London and US advertising agencies. Despite the racy nature of the client, M&C Saatchi will not be rolling out a campaign to promote what has been labelled the services of a "kind of online equivalent to the top shelf, an internet red-light district" . Instead the agency will focus on developing a campaign, set to launch on both sides of the Atlantic from January, to increase responsibility with the adult entertainment industry. A consumer campaign will roll out later next year. • To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email [email protected] or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000. • If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly "for publication".