Optus opens creative account to pitch for projects

What a joke.

Another day another Optus agency review. One day, maybe just one day they might realise that they are the problem, not any of the agencies who are unfortunate enough to work with them.

WOW – another pitch. I guess the Optus team don’t have anything to do, so they fill their time with pitches. The have an agency roster and every agency in the country has worked on their business at some point in time. What are they looking for?

This is a client who publicly proclaims that they treat agencies well but their conduct is the total opposite. You can’t excuse bad behaviour by saying you pay agencies for their work. The problem lies with the client, not agencies. And including their previous colleagues at an agency in London over another of the Aussie agencies they proclaim to support is the icing on the cake! What a start to 2020.

Is this a prank? Serious question

This is a Joke isn’t it? How many creative agencies do Optus need?

The question’s I ask are:

1/ are the current agencies not creative enough?
2/ is it a money thing?
3/ is the client difficult to work with?

All this drama and trauma and what has changed in 20 or so years in the Telco category? Market shares remain much the same amongst the Top 3 and customers still hate them.

Bravery would be stopping thinking ads are a panacea and using the money being wasted to fix your customer service and network problems. This constant churn through marketing people, ad ideas and agency talent is a whopping waste of everyone’s time.

Just very weak leadership. You cannot be a head of marketing or a CMO and have this go on. Either you cannot sell vision internally not getting sign off (which means you have no trust / respect with the EXCO) and then blame the agency the alternative is that the EXCO team has no respect for marketing which still falls at your feet. Or you just can’t brief and partner properly. To much great talent working the business to believe it’s anything but an Optus issue. Move out of the way or start respecting creative talent and supporting it through good and bad times. Winning involves risk own it.

Maybe they want something different to what they are getting.

It’s their money.

If I choose to buy a different pair of skinny jeans jeans from H&M, do you think Uniqlo are Guna be pissed at me. Are they f**k. They take my money and my business cos I pay them for the pleasure.

It’s all in the game people

How many times have M and C had to pitch this business?I worked there 10 years ago and remember doing it.The CMO is ex agency and indeed was imported from London by M and C to run the Optus account.Then she jumps ship to the client.
So wrong on so many levels.

So Bear meets are already out. Someone has to look at themselves at Optus and wonder if it’s them not the agencies.

This is a non-story. On some projects, the Optus team pay for concepts from a few different agencies. We agree to the process because we are paid for our time, and the best thinking is put in market. It is clear. It is fair. Two things that are sadly light on the ground in the industry today.

Dear Mumbrella readers;

Like most of you, I typically ignore comments that are clearly not based on fact. However, recent commentary around our relationships with, and perceived disregard for, creative agencies demands a response.

To clarify, some facts:

1: M&C Saatchi Group remains a big partner of Optus. Re, M&C Sport & Entertainment and Yes Agency are all valuable partners – and the size of the collective relationship has, in fact, grown
2: We work on an ongoing basis with a strong selection of amazing agencies. We have always been clear that, from time to time, we will invite other creative specialists to participate on projects. Our existing partners are comfortable with this arrangement
3: On certain projects we will request a number of individual responses. All participants are paid for their thinking at fair rates, with full transparency on what companies are involved – and how. Given their passion for ‘the work’, all are very happy to be part of the process
4: We as a team take full accountability for Optus’ marketing strategy and output – it is simply incorrect to imply we ever defer responsibility on this front
5: We are incredibly proud of our brand, and the work we have produced recently. Without our agency partners, none of it could have happened. Together, we have some amazing work to share in 2020. Watch this space.

Looking forward to seeing that work Melissa.
Likewise some results.
When will that be?

Mel, thank you for your brave and transparent retort.

However, your POV highlights one of the very pillars of success that is as relevant today as it was before…the value of continuity and expertise.

Agency relationships used to be long term, which provided the value of continuity. P&G were/are the champions of it. Their campaigns evolve over years and ‘build the business’ in the process (rigorously tested and tracked).

Optus used to have continuity (admittedly not to the rigour P&G would’ve demanded) in the form of ‘executional glue’ with the ‘animals’ – created and – brilliantly – managed by M&C.

Optus today has neither a brand platform NOR executional glue. Contributing to that is the way Optus appoints agencies. If you appoint on a project/campaign basis, you get project work which is ad how and inherently lacks the long term consistency and, therefore, ability to drive association (recall) amongst audiences who couldn’t care less about your existence…until they need a phone.

So, instead of looking to a pool of ‘amazingly talented and dedicated agency partners’ for certain briefs in pursuit of a creative silver bullet…find one partner. Commit to them – 5 years? – as brand guardians. Learn, evolve, improve. Your brand tracking and sales curves will likely have a better than average chance of improving as a result.