GPY&R loses the rest of its Telstra business
Troubled GPY&R has finally lost its fight to hang on to Telstra as a client.
The telco has confirmed that it is shifting direct marketing work previously done by GPY&R Sydney to Ogilvy.
In a brief statement, Telstra said: ” This will mean Telstra will have one agency contact for through-the-line consumer work, creating efficiencies through the briefing and creative processes.
GPY&R lost the bulk of its Telstra work in July last year and made several people redundant as a result. It came just days after the new management team of Y&R brands CEO Nigel Marsh and GPY&R Sydney boss Julie Porter arrived. But the agency fought hard to remain on the Telstra roster.
Last week, Porter revealed that she was to move on, to be replaced by GPY&R Brisbane’s Phil McDonald. It was then revealed that GPY&R Brisbane had lost energy supplier Energex as a client.
Tim Burrowes founded Mumbrella in 2008. He worked on Mumbrella until 2021. At various points he was editor, content director and editor-at-large.
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George Patterson
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Julie Porter
Nigel Marsh
Ogilvy
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Phil McDonald
Telstra
Maybe I am the only one stupid enough to say this – but could someone please put the once formidable George Patterson out of its misery and just call the agency Y&R instead of this death by a thousand cuts.
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Apart from the glorious early years of Y&R in Sydney and Adelaide (and fabbo they were indeed), the sad tale of Y&R in Oz (and probably everywhere else too) is of a behemoth gobbling up the exciting agencies of local talent and stultifying them within a few short years with their heavy handed corporate crap. Only got worse under the misery of WPP and that deadshit supermarket-trolley manufacturer Martin Sorrell.
BTW: I happened to be in the meeting in NYC when the vote was taken to sell the entire Y&R (etc) operation to WPP and was heartily amused when a naive voice in the audience asked about what WPP stood for (Wire & Plastic products, FYI: supermarket baskets), and wondered what wireless statons they actually owned…. How appropriate that a ormer supermarket basket manufacturer is now running more than a third of the world’s commercial communicaitons operations.
UGH!
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thought it stood for Why Pay People
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The industry is doomed whichever way you look at it. Clients don’t want to fairly remunerate. Global HQ wants more profit. Consumers don’t want to be marketed to. Staff should receive salary increase but don’t (and end up leaving for greener pastures)
Why, as a young person entering the workforce, would you want to work in an industry where you work long hours for little recognition and even less remuneration, where your creativity is stifled and you spend your days getting kicked around by clients.
Might as well join the finance industry. Maybe I will.
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Well done Ogilvy. Clients like this are never glorious, but good people work hard hours to make things happen.
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Well done Ogilvy. Clients like this are never glorious, but good people work hard hours to make things happen.
P.S. – Sorry, forgot to tell you great post!
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A sad end for GPY&R and Telstra.
A master-stroke for Ian Smith at the the then GPB, when Optus walked.
Squandered by the comedy Y&R management that then took over.
Then unable to be revived by Nigel Marsh’s team as the damage was too great.
It’s no secret that working with Telstra and their crapulent SMG is like pinning shit to the ceiling.
It’s a team that collectively cannot brief a pizza flyer. There are some belting tales to be told.
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Tell the tales! Tell the tales! Tell the tales! Tell the tales! Tell the tales! Tell the tales!
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