Goodman Fielder and Initiative respond to Slingshot’s claim that account win was driven by price
Goodman Fielder and its new media agency Initiative have responded to incumbent Slingshot’s suggestion that the account move was driven by price.
Last week, Slingshot CEO Simon Rutherford said that Goodman Fielder wanted “an agency who would do it for less and they found one” in Initiative, an agency which has been a vocal critic of unfair pitches, led by global CEO Mat Baxter’s #ditchthepitch campaign. But local CEO Melissa Fein has insisted the pitch for the $12m account met its standards.
“Initiative has made its position on the need for fair and reasonable commercials clear and we held this pitch to that standard as we have all others over the past few years,” Fein told Mumbrella.
The parent company of Helga’s, MeadowLea, Wonder White and White Wings emphasised that Initiative demonstrated a level of creative thinking that went beyond media and exceeded expectations.
“Initiative’s positioning around the cultural relevance of brands really resonated and impressed us in the review process,” said Christine Fung, head of marketing, retail.
“It aligns completely with our ambitions to better connect our brands and products with Australians, particularly as we head into our next phase of growth with significantly increased investment across our brand portfolio.
“Initiative demonstrated to us creative thinking that goes well beyond media, and we’re excited to start our journey with them knowing their excellent reputation with both clients and agency partners alike.”
Fein – whose team added the likes of Deliveroo, KPMG, Carnival Australia, Tourism Vancouver, Australian Radio Network, Fujitsu, and Swinburne University to its portfolio last year – added: “The team and I are excited about the future with Goodman Fielder. We are two businesses that share a single-minded vision to grow their brands, and we can’t wait to get started.”
Brittney Rigby was Mumbrella's deputy managing editor - news and analysis. She left Mumbrella in April 2021.
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Christine Fung
ditchthepitch
Goodman Fielder
Initiative
Mat Baxter
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Slingshot
So Slingshot are willing to air their grievances about a commercial negotiation in public? Good luck getting business in the future. Talk about sour grapes. Learn how to be a CEO Simon.
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The truth of the matter will be revealed in the subsequent. Let’s hope Initiative + GF do indeed set a new benchmark for FMCG communications in the market. If not then we’ll know it was just about $$ after all.
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Yes let’s see if they take the Initiative to be different
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