Westpac has appointed DDB Australia as its new creative agency, after a two-way tussle with Ogilvy.
The incumbent on the account was Big Red, which was not invited to battle for the business. While the official line from Westpac during the pitch said it was between DDB Sydney and Ogilvy Sydney, AdNews understands DDB's Sydney and Melbourne offices were both involved.
The appointment has not yet been officially announced, but it is understood a release is due within the hour.
The review came shortly after the bank's marketing boss Damian Eales left the company. Many in the industry had speculated Ted Horton's grip on the Westpac account was all but gone with the exit of Eales. Eales had hired Big Red in May last year following his previous relationship with Horton while Eales was at David Jones.
The recruitment of former ANZ marketer John Harries, who officially starts in October, looked to be a good sign for DDB, which had a relationship with Harries when the Omnicom agency held the ANZ business account.
Acting general manager of strategic marketing Jim Tate oversaw the review.
Lavender's relationship with Westpac was not affected by the pitch process.
Ogilvy still works on Westpac Group brands St. George and Bank of Melbourne. Westpac's media agency is MediaCom.
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