Pitch Watch: Ikea media briefs out; Uber start-up Splend names agency; AccorHotels awards creative
Mumbrella casts a regular eye over some of the media, creative and PR pitches in market.
In this wrap up: Ikea (Media); Splend (Strategy and Content); AccorHotels (Creative); Melbourne Racing Club (Creative); Goodness (PR); Pancakes on the Rocks (PR); NEC Australia (PR); Changi Travel (PR); Lif3 (PR); Zespri Kiwifruit (PR and experiential)
Ikea reviewing media as part of global hunt
Swedish furniture giant Ikea is understood to have local media briefs in market on the back of a global media pitch worth more than $US444m.
The account is handled locally by Match Media but it is understood a number of agencies have been handed briefs.
Ikea kicked off the global global pitch in March with the account split across a range of agencies in different regions including Vizeum in the UK and MEC in the US.
The global end of the review is being handled by media pitch and strategy specialists ID Comms which has offices in London, New York and Singapore.
Publicis-owned Match won the media business from Mediacom in 2013, having already worked for 10 years on strategy for Ikea.
The brand is working to expand its business with a sales goal in Australia of $1.8bn by 2020, with an eye on smaller high street show rooms.
Tongue wins car share hire car service
WPP AUNZ agency Tongue has won the account for new on demand car share service Splend.
In operation for a little more than six months, Splend is moving into the rapidly booming care share space offering car hire for Uber drivers and has appointed Tongue to handle strategy, content and social media.
Tongue has worked with a number of start ups in the past including Booodl, Tinybeans and Divvy.
Marcus Liew, chief digital officer of Splend, said he was looking forward to the agency being an extension of the core team.
“We’ve been in market for just over 6-months now, and the demand has exceeded our expectations,” Liew said.
“Tongue has a great reputation in delivering great customer experiences and this is what we do at the heart of Splend. We are more than just a vehicle rental business, we partner with our drivers to ensure they are safest, most profitable drivers on the road.”
Special Group books into Accor
AccorHotels have appointed Special Group Australia to handle creative across its entire spread of brands including Sofitel, Pullman, Quay West, The Sebel, Novotel, Mecure and Ibis.
Acting vice president of marketing and communications for AccorHotels Australia, Di Morgan, said the group was looking for a nimble creative partner.
“We were impressed by Special Group’s insight into our fast-evolving industry as well as our breadth of brands from economy to luxury,” Morgan said.
“The pitch team demonstrated a high level of creative thinking and we felt inspired to start a new partnership with such talented people.”
Special Group CEO and founding partner, Lindsey Evans, said the agency would have to opportunity to work beyond just the creative brief.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity to work with one team across such a range of different offerings and for us to be able to influence not just the communications but the hotel experience,” Evans said.
Red Agency pick up five new clients in Brisbane
Red Agency’s Brisbane office has bolstered its consumer lifestyle and technology portfolio with five new client wins.
The team has been appointed by natural beauty brand Goodness to develop a range of campaigns which will highlight the benefits of chia seed oil and showcase affordable alternatives to caring for your skin.
The agency has also picked up the Pancakes on the Rocks account to drive the brand’s extension into Queensland. The Brisbane team will manage a range of PR and promotional campaigns to cement its presence across the state.
Red Agency Brisbane has also picked up the accounted for NEC Australia. The agency was selected to driver greater awareness of its wide range of innovative technology through thought leadership, experiential and social media activity.
It has also won the account for travel services company Changi Travel after a competitive pitch to promote the company’s new wi-fi travel device.
The team will also manage ANZ PR and social media for Lif3, who have the worldwide rights to a radiation protection device for mobile phones. As part of the remit, Red Agency will support the company’s roll out in the US, Canada and Asia as part of its international expansion.
Red Agency Brisbane principal Yasmine Gray said: “The Brisbane Red Agency office has really come of age in the last year. Business is thriving after repeatedly winning accounts with some of Australia’s biggest brands and I am very proud that we are successfully riding the crest of that wave. The Queensland market is traditionally not an easy one to crack, but the team’s consistent quality work is now paying real dividends.”
Managing director James Wright said: “I’m extremely proud of Yasmine and the Brisbane team, who consistently step up to the plate and deliver smart and strategic responses to briefs. The successive momentum of these wins is due to their long standing hard work and dedication that has made Brisbane a major pillar of Red Agency’s offering.”
The Royals win Melbourne Racing Club creative
Independent agency The Royals has been appointed to handle all strategic and creative requirements for the Melbourne Racing Club after a competitive pitch process “spanning several months”.
Jason Shugg, executive director of marketing & membership at the MRC said the 2016 Caulfield Cup Carnival set the tone for the successful agency pitch.
“The Caulfield Cup Carnival this spring will be a game-changer,” says Shugg.
“Understanding the need to creatively reaffirm the Caulfield brand as innovative, surprising and contemporary, along with placing the customer at the heart of everything we do, were the keys to The Royals’ success during the pitch process.”
Andrew Siwka, managing partner at The Royals, said in a statement: “I am extra excited about this win. Not only do we get to bring to life some fantastic concepts, but with horse racing as one of my passions I now have a great excuse to get along to the races more often.
“The momentum we are generating across both Sydney and Melbourne at the moment is genuinely exciting after a series of great appointments this year.”
The announcement is effective immediately, and encompasses the Caulfield Cup Carnival as well as 2017 summer and autumn racing campaign periods.
Zespri Kiwifruit appoint PR agency and experiential agency
Zespri International has appointed Because Brand Experience and Agent99 Public Relations to raise the profile of Zespri SunGold Kiwifruits.
Because will roll out the Zespri Sun-Up event which is aimed at educating individuals on the taste and health benefits of the fruit while Agent99 will manage a wide range of PR activities to raise the profile of the fruit.
Agent99 will also handle all media relations and leverage Zespri’s brand ambassador Cassey Ho’s profile, expertise and attendance at the event.
Judy Lee, regional marketing manager for Southeast Asia & Australia at Zespri International Ltd said: “We’re excited to have two such talented agencies, BEcause and Agent99 PR, working together on this campaign. Both teams have vast experience in launching and promoting global products to the Australian market, and have an excellent track record in achieving results.”
Meredith Cranmer, founder & managing director Australia, BEcause said: “We’re really proud to be working with such an established brand on this campaign. We feel that together with Agent99 PR we can create an integrated activation that will exceed all expectations.”
Sharon Zeev Poole, director, Agent99 Public Relations added: “Working with BEcause is such a pleasure and having an impressive international brand such as Zespri Kiwifuit added to the roster is very exciting for our team. Agent99 prides itself on effective media engagement across traditional and social media channels, and we cannot wait to see our vision for this campaign become a reality.”
Miranda Ward worked for Mumbrella from 2013 to 2017, eventually becoming deputy editor. Miranda joined Mumbrella in September 2013 from Sky News.
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so, management guilty of inadequate oversight but the Producer is the only one who loses his job
seems standard
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All those great account wins + a phenomenal effort on helping the Hummingbird House Foundation launch Queenslands only Children’s Hospice. Thanks Yasmine and the RA Team!
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