CLOSE-UP: LIVE ISSUE - MAGAZINE MARKETING. Hachette and Dennis have taken on communications planners, Ian Darby writes.

Everybody should have one, they're the new black. A trendy communications planning agency appears to have become the essential accessory to any self-respecting marketing strategy.

Last week, the publishing groups Hachette Filipacchi and Dennis each went out and got themselves one. Hachette hired Unity to work across a portfolio of brands including Elle, Red and B. Dennis appointed Naked Communications to work on its men's title Maxim.

While neither Hachette nor Unity will talk about this on the record, it seems that the terms of the relationship are still being thrashed out before ink is put to paper.

Hachette undoubtedly has a pressing need to assess its titles and their marketing support.

Last year, Hachette, a French publishing giant, acquired Attic Futura as a launch pad for its UK operations. It then dissolved its joint venture with Emap and is now the sole publisher of the former Emap titles Elle and Red. Still in the nascent stages of development, Hachette has not yet put advertising support in place for its new titles.

Unity was well placed to work on the business having worked previously with Kevin Hand, Hachette's UK chairman, during his time as Emap's chief executive.

Claudine Collins, the press director at MediaCom, says: 'Hachette has strong brands and it needs to advertise and promote. We all know the strengths of Elle, Red and Sugar but it obviously wants to try to do things in a different and better way than Emap.'