COI Axing Confirmed
COI axing has been confirmed but the centralised marketing hub is rejected. Following Government confirmation, Kommando are disappointed to hear that the Central Office of Information (COI) will definitely be scrapped.
The Government confirmed that the COI will be scrapped, but has rejected the idea of a centralised marketing hub for all departments. The majority of the COI’s marketing services work will be handled centrally through the Cabinet Office.
Former Government communications chief Matt Tee recommended that the CIO should be axed in March and wanted to see the bulk of the Government’s marketing coordinated, planned and developed centrally, with departmental communications staff redeployed to a ‘Government Communications centre’.
Instead of this approach the Government will set up a ‘Communication Delivery Board’; a team of approximately 20 who will coordinate strategy across departments in a bid to avoid duplication.
Departments will then develop their own activity and partnerships with private sector partners, with marcomms staff remaining with their departments.
However, the Cabinet Office did not rule out further centralisation and vowed to “explore the development of a shared communications delivery pool for certain specialist services and a small number of specialist marketing hubs”.
As a COI frameworked agency Kommando have carried out various jobs for the Government and looks forward to working with them again in the future.
