Aldi Australia has appointed Zenith as its media planning and buying agency after a competitive review, leaving long-term agency Maxus after 14 years.
Last week, AdNews revealed that Zenith was battling incumbent Maxus for the $42 million account in a closely-guarded media pitch.
“We are delighted to partner with ZenithOptimedia. Through the tender process, they demonstrated exceptional strategic skills, but perhaps more importantly, shared the values of Aldi Australia. We look forward to working together to show even more Australians what Aldi has to offer,” an Aldi Australia spokesperson said.
“We would also like to extend our thanks to Maxus, who have been a valued partner over the past 14 years and contributed significantly to our success in Australia.”
Publicis Media CEO Matt James says the agency was "delighted" to be partnering a "disruptor such as Aldi".
"They have led an exemplary tender process, demonstrative through their professionalism, vision and inspirational partnership approach," James says.
For James, winning the Aldi account is an important win after Publicis Media restructured from six agencies to four in the past year.
Zenith missed out on securing the Coles account earlier this year in a three-way tussle with UM and OMD, which won the business.
“We have spent the last 12 months re-imagining and strengthening the agency to continue to build momentum behind our ROI proposition and values," Zenith managing director Karen Halligan adds. "To be able to join forces with a client of Aldi’s calibre is incredibly exciting for our team.”
Aldi has grown its media spend considerably since it spent $15 million in the 2014 calendar year. It is now considered the main challenger to the dominance of supermarket giants Coles and Woolworths.
In the latest Roy Morgan Supermarket Currency report, Australians spent $11.2 billion at Aldi stores in the year to September, which is up 0.5 percentage points and now accounts for 12.5% of spend across all supermarkets.
The discount store is slowly gaining on market leader Woolworths, which lost 1.4 percentage points to a 36.3% share of the market, and behind Coles, which has a market share of 33.2%. The brand is ahead of IGA, which has a 9.8% market share.
Aldi is known for running quirky and award-winning campaigns, including Like Brands Only Cheaper and Supermarket Switch.
Aldi was one of the largest clients at Maxus, which is also defending its Fiat Chrysler account in a regional review.
“Maxus has enjoyed a long relationship with Aldi and we are very proud to have contributed to their growth during the past 14 years. We wish them every luck in the future as their business continues to expand and grow," Maxus Sydney managing director Katy Websdell says.
Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at adnews@yaffa.com.au
Sign up to the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day.