Bega appoints Thinkerbell to run media and creative accounts
Consumer foods group Bega has consolidated its media and creative accounts with Thinkerbell, in a move that could herald major changes for Australia’s advertising industry.
The shifting of the media account finishes a ten year relationship with Carat and follows Bega dropping JWT earlier this year, ending the agency’s 74 year association with the Vegemite brand.
Bega acquired the Vegemite brand at the beginning of 2017 after acquiring Mondelez International’s Australia and New Zealand grocery and cheese business. Thinkerbell’s remit will also inclcude Bega Peanut Butter, Picky Picky, Farmer’s Table, and ZoOsh.
The shift to an integrated media and creative account by Bega could herald a return to the industry model that existed before the 1980s where media buying was largely carried out by creative agencies who took a commission for placing advertising.
During the 1980s and 1990s media buying was spun off into stand alone agencies, which gave rise to a $2bn industry locally. Bega’s move could see those functions returning to the creative agencies.
Bega marketing director, Ben Hill acknowledged this in announcing the deal saying: “For us, it makes sense to have all our creative and media thinking under the one roof. We believe creative, strategy and media planning should work cohesively and be seamlessly integrated.
“It makes sense to have one partner and the results we have been achieving with Thinkerbell this year give us full confidence we have made the right decision.”
Thinkerbell’s managing partner, Margie Reid, said the Bega win signals an industry change: “Working with Bega has been brilliant. Strategically and creatively we’ve clicked and we’re looking forward to extending the relationship into media planning and buying.
“We’re honoured to be working with Bega Foods to continue building their powerful and much-loved Australian brands.”
In an interview with Reid last year, the former OMD boss flagged the agency would consider moving into media buying and in October won the Melbourne Racing Club’s buying account from Vizeum.
Bega’s brand communications and PR will continue to be managed by J&CO Strategic.
Go Margie. Great win.
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Not worth re-writing history, Paul. Independent media agencies started in Australia in the early ’70’s. Earlier in Canada and Europe. Merchant and Pettett, Mitchell after that, Total Media, Shipley Webster, Advertising Investment Services in the late 70’s early 80’s?
The re-badged advertising agency media departments like Universal etc. only happened later when they realised the independents were eating their lunch and were obliged to respond. Independent, however, they were not.
Cheers,
Alan Robertson
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Thanks for the history lesson Alan.
Keep in mind that most of Mumbrella’s readership (i.e this industry) weren’t even born in the late 70s and early 80s, so independents are still fascinating to us.
On a side note, the suits at PwC must be loving all these wins!
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Well done Thinkerbell.
A great win for a great team.
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I’d imagine with Margie’s Media prowess and Thinkerbell smarts, this will be the first of many media wins (although it’s their second media win). Any client who’s has the good fortune to work with her will now consider Thinkerbell as a great option to some of the old fashioned media agencies that have been suffering from constant staff churn and lack of experience. Also from a practical point of view you know you’re going to get more looked after here than at the big media agencies who focus on selling products or badly made content.
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Is there anything these guys didn’t copy from their previous agency? Hardly breakthough news here. And yes…I worked at C&P and rate them a lot higher on the originality scale.
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I just love that this commentator accidentally outs themselves as working at Thinkerbell. “You’re going to get looked after HERE more than at other media agencies”.
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Can we also talk about how CB disables comments on every Thinkerbell story involving a client (not new hires stories)?
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yes, I noticed the last few posts on CB regarding these guys gets disabled or edited in favour of the agency… must be mates of ML me thinks or they can’t stand the feedback which is normally negative for a very good reason.
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Congrats Bega and Thinkerbell. Brace and makes sense.
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Beyond Margie, picking up Pip Butler in media and this client means that Thinkerbell has real credentials in media. They’ll poach a scary-big client soon.
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Imagine high-fiving yourself.
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Hey Mumbrella…burying this story and wont post comments? Fearless journalism. You cant pick sides.
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