Thinkerbell has been appointed sole creative partner for Lion following a comprehensive agency review process led by pitch consultants Trinity P3.
Lion has moved from an agency village model and previously worked with Milk & Honey PR, 72andSunny and Host/Havas.
72andSunny president Ross Berthinussen congratulated Thinkerbell on the win.
“Congratulations to Thinkerbell, an awesome win for them," he says. "We would have loved to have been in the running but didn't have the scale to handle the whole roster. We look forward to seeing the work.”
Thinkerbell founder & consumer psychologist Adam Ferrier says the agency is “stoked to be involved”.
“Lion have the right team, and the right brands in the right category, to create a dream opportunity for a creatively-driven agency like Thinkerbell.”
Lion is moving to a Connections Model under the leadership of consumer & brand director, Anubha Sahasrabuddhe, who took up the role in January. Thinkerbell has been on the agency roster for two years.
“Australian culture is evolving, and the beer category needs to better understand and reflect those changes,” Sahasrabuddhe says.
"To connect with the next generation of drinkers we need to redefine the role our brands play in their lives, and we believe Thinkerbell is the right partner to have along with us on that journey."
Lion’s connections director, Ed Stening, says pairing the Connections Model with Thinkerbell’s deep consumer understanding and creativity “will power our ambition to challenge existing cultural norms around beer advertising”.
“By reaching consumers where we can have most impact, we can realise our brand growth objectives and drive better conversion and ROI. We’re now working to establish in-house expertise across creative strategy, media, digital, partnerships and connections planning to help unlock this potential,” Stening says.
Thinkerbelll CEO Margie Reid says the agency will split the account across its Sydney and Melbourne offices.
“We are absolutely thrilled to be working with Lion across all of their brands in both a creative and earned capacity," she says. Although this account will be split across both our South and North offices this win is testimony to the exceptional leadership of Katy Dally (GM Sydney).
“Lion has a genuine belief that investing in and harnessing the power of creativity drives commercial outcomes. We are looking forward to pushing creative boundaries and supercharging their brand portfolio over the coming years. We can’t wait to make more Measured Magic together."
Lion is one of Australia’s largest brewers and employs more than 1500 people.
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