It’s hard to keep track of the account wins and losses across the industry. To help you keep on top of who has what, here’s a wrap of the pitches from the week.
The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company (TCCC) has appointed indie start-up agency Imperfect Circle as the integrated brand experience (IBX) partner for Sprite's ASEAN account. Launched six months ago, Imperfect Circle already has offices in Sydney and Shanghai, but this latest win will accelerate its plans for a Singapore presence, too. Pratik Thakar, integrated marketing communication director of The Coca-Cola Company South East Asia, says his team’s decision to entrust the brand to a young creative company is in line with TCCC’s IBX expectations for the Sprite brand.
Vodafone
Dentsu Aegis Network-owned media agency Carat has revealed that it has been appointed as Vodafone’s global media buying agency. The scope includes media buying across multiple international markets, partnered with Vodafone’s in-housed biddable media team. GroupM's bespoke ‘Team Red’, which was set up in 2017 to service the account after the global telco shifted its buying and planning out of Bohemia following a seven-year stint, will retain the account. AdNews understands Australia was one of the only markets not to be included in the global shift.
Supercars
Supercars Australia has appointed sports and entertainment agency Gemba as its research and insights partner, starting from the 2020 Virgin Australia Supercars Series season. The three-year partnership will see Gemba providing Supercars and its competing teams with fan insights and brand health tracking research to inform commercial and fan engagement strategies. Supercars general manager - commercial Jamie Black says Gemba was selected for its "comprehensive approach".
Princess Cruises
Independent creative agency RedEngine SCC has won the Princess Cruises’ social media and content account. The agency won the Australia and New Zealand account following a competitive pitch up against incumbent MediaCom. Princess Cruises director of sales and marketing Nick Ferguson says the agency "stood out" with its strong focus on strategy, content and creativity.
McDonald's
McDonald’s has appointed indie Wieden + Kennedy New York (WKNY) as lead creative agency for its US business with 14,000 restaurants, the largest market for the fast food chain. The announcement comes after an evaluation of its marketing agency model, signalling a new approach after three years with Omnicom Group via We Are Unlimited, a bespoke agency created by DDB in Chicago for the account. AdNews understands the appointment will have no impact on DDB Sydney, which holds the McDonald’s Australia account. WKNY will begin work in the next month to plan for 2020.
Workwear Group
International creative agency Paper Stone Scissors has been appointed to the creative account for internationally retail company Workwear Group, following a competitve pitch. As the creative partner for the business, Paper Stone Scissors will look after both the Hard Yakka and King Gee brands. Paper Stone Scissors will be responsible for the strategic and creative development and production of all brand communications.
Sealy
OMD Brisbane has been appointed to the media account for mattress company, Sealy. With five manufacturing plants and over 750 employees around Australia, Sealy is stocked by multiple retailers including Amart, Myer, David Jones, Freedom and Harvey Norman. OMD Brisbane will be responsible for all media strategy, planning and buying for Sealy. The appointment coincides with the relaunch of the Sealy brand, with the positioning of their innovative products as “It’s clearly a Sealy”.
Greater Bank
Australian independent media agency Atomic 212 been re-appointed to the media advertising account of Greater Bank. Atomic 212 previously held the Greater Bank account for three years until 2016. Greater Bank’s head of marketing and customer experience Matthew Hingston believes that Atomic 212 is a great fit for the bank and is looking forward to working with the team.
Tyro
Sydney-based programmatic media agency Bench has been appointed to lead business bank Tyro's programmatic media operations. Bench chief commercial officer Gil Snir says after Tyro’s recent ‘Better business banking’ rebrand launch, it was looking to challenge the traditional approach to business banking with a data-driven, technology-based approach. Bench will utilise its proprietary data modelling solutions to enable faster and more agile marketing communications.
DoorDash
DoorDash, the largest on-demand food platform for door-to-door delivery in the U.S., has engaged Haystac, part of the BWM Dentsu Group, to launch its brand in Australia. DoorDash engaged the agency to mark its first market expansion beyond North America, following its success in over 4,000 cities in all fifty states across the United States and Canada. Haystac will use its expertise in PR, social and content to deliver an integrated communications strategy, including brand positioning, media relations, influencer relations and content development.
Crystalbrook Collection
Crystalbrook Collection has appointed The Mint Partners as its public relations agency to lead the group’s communications strategy and launch pipeline as it continues to expand across Australia’s eastern seaboard. Crystalbrook Collection is an Australian hospitality group focused on sustainable luxury and boasting a collection of luxury accommodation offerings across the east coast. The Mint Partners will first focus on the launch of Bailey, Cairns’ newest five-star hotel, launching November 2019, closely followed by sibling hotel Flynn set to open in April 2020.
Queen Victoria Building
The Queen Victoria Building (QVB) has appointed Alt/Shift as its retained PR agency. Alt/Shift will create campaigns to reinforce the building’s position as one of Sydney’s most iconic locations.
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