Pitch Watch: Foxtel kicks off review; Fletcher Building appoints media agency; Dec PR wins three pitches
Mumbrella casts an eye over the major media, creative and public relations pitches at play in market.
In today’s wrap up: Foxtel (creative pitch); Fletcher Building (media appointment); DEC PR (three new clients wins).
Foxtel kicks off review as Buckman takes control
Just four months after returning to Australia to take the role of managing director – customer and retail, Mark Buckman has launched a review of the Foxtel’s agency relationships.
Mumbrella understands Buckman has completed a strategic review of marketing for the business and is now looking at both incumbent supplier TBWA and BBDO – with some observers entertaining the possibility he could repeat his controversial move when at the Commonwealth Bank by handing the account to an overseas supplier.
Foxtel has most recently been working with TBWA, which created the ‘Make it Yours’ campaign in March and also has an in-house agency, Felix.
Clemenger BBDO in Sydney had won the entire Foxtel business when Kim Williams was at the helm, but the brand has taken a project approach to its messaging over to previous two years, with TBWA, Clemenger BBDO Sydney and Felix all working on aspects of the business.
It is believed that Buckman is keen to realign the business under a single supplier as the shift in strategy takes shape.
Last month, Foxtel CEO Peter Tonagh revealed that Foxtel’s next generation of set-top box would allow access to Netflix and Stan.
Foxtel has also bought Seven out of the Presto joint-venture and will shutter the service in the new year, with Presto subscribers moving to Foxtel Play.
Speaking with Mumbrella at the ASTRA conference last month, Tonagh said marketing would increase its focus on customer experience under Buckman’s leadership.
Fletcher Building appoints media agency
Fletcher Building has appointed Vizeum New Zealand to manage its media strategy, planning and buying globally following a competitive pitch.
This is the first time the company has consolidated its media into a single agency and Vizeum’s scope of work includes management of Fletcher Building’s full suite of brands across New Zealand, Australia, USA, Europe and Asia.
Chief marketing officer Becky Lloyd said: “We are delighted to appoint Vizeum on a global basis, since we operate across multiple geographies. This is an opportunity for us to maximise the return on our media spend, while tapping into Vizeum’s expertise, agility, and innovation in the changing media environment to help us deliver our long-term business goals.”
Vizeum agency director Richard Hale said: “This is a transformational win for our agency, and we are proud to have come out on top in one of the biggest pitches to take place in New Zealand over recent months.
“Fletcher Building is an iconic New Zealand business and the win adds to already strong momentum for our agency this year. The team is very much looking forward to the opportunity to drive real business results.”
Dec PR wins three new clients
Dec PR has been appointed by Crestron to undertake an ongoing Australian and New Zealand PR program to showcase its automation and control solutions.
The agency has also won the account for family entertainment solutions provider Innovative Retail and real-time enterprise social analytics platform Netbase.
