Pitch Watch: P&G takes media soundings; 7-Eleven and Rugby League World Cup name media; Jim Beam pitches creative
Mumbrella casts an eye over the major media, creative and public relations pitches at play in market.
In today’s wrap up: 7-Eleven names media agency; Procter & Gamble in ‘media talks’; Jim Beam (global creative); Rugby League World Cup (media); Cisco appoints PR agency; British Airways (PR); Taubmans (digital)
7-Eleven moves media
Convenience store brand 7-Eleven has moved its media account to PHD, Mumbrella can reveal.
The move comes after incumbent OMD won the Coles master media account earlier this year from UM, giving it a conflict in the retail space.
While the move to PHD keeps the brand in the Omnicom Media Group portfolio 7-Eleven’s head of brand and communications Jessica Richmond told Mumbrella it had gone to market for an “extensive pitch” process.
It is the second brand PHD has picked up from OMD in the wake of the Coles win with Bakers Delight also opting to remain in the Omnicom group after a pitch.
Procter and Gamble ‘starts media conversations’
FMCG giant Procter and Gamble appears to have started conversations with various media agencies in the Australian market ahead of a possible media pitch later this year.
The Australian reported that the company behind brands like Pringles, Braun, Gillette, Max Factor and Pantene has started meetings in the Australian market.
Mumbrella has also learned the business, which has a spend of around $60m locally, is looking to fire the starting gun on a pitch this year.
Media responsibilities for it currently sit with GroupM’s Mediacom in this market.
All agencies contacted declined to comment.
Jim Beam kicks of global creative agency review
Beam Suntory has put its Jim Beam bourbon brand up for a global creative pitch with Sydney-based independent agency The Works on alert.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_Vk5iloGrw
The Works won the business as part of an independent consortium in 2013, and were joined by Mekanism from the US and Jung Von Matt of Germany.
Ad Age has reported Mekanism is not participating in the pitch, putting the future of the consortium model in question.
The Works has been the lead agency for above the line creative for the brand, including the ‘Questions’ campaign featuring actress Mila Kunis which launched in 2014.
A Beam Suntory spokesperson told Ad Age: “I can confirm that we are in official review for Jim Beam’s global creative agency, which is being managed by our global marketing team out of our Deerfield, Ill., headquarters, however, we have no other news to share at the moment.”
The Works declined to comment.
Rugby League World Cup 2017 appoints Match Media
Rugby League World Cup 2017 has appointed Match Media as the full-service media agency for the tournament to be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand in late 2017.
Rohan Sawyer, general manager commercial and marketing RLWC2017, said: “We were impressed with the Match team’s knowledge and enthusiasm for Rugby League as well as their ability to offer all the media services we needed under one roof.
“It’s the aim of the Rugby League World Cup 2017 organising committee to pack the stands with over 450,000 fans, which would be an event record, and we are confident that with the assistance of Match we will deliver a tournament that will Celebrate Rugby League, Inspire Communities and Entertain the World.”
John Preston, CEO of Match Media, said: “We are thrilled to be part of the RLWC2017 team. It’s a huge event and a great brief to work on. Whilst the actual event is a long way off, the work to create the building blocks to deliver a successful event starts now, and we can’t wait to contribute to delivering a sell-out event.”
British Airways appoints S2i Communications
Sydney-based PR and communications agency S2i Communications has been appointed to handle PR for British Airways in Australia and New Zealand.
Linsey Brown, general manager at S2i Communications, said: “We are delighted to represent British Airways, which is quintessentially British and undoubtedly one of the most instantly recognisable and established brands in the world.
“We look forward to using our expertise and strategic approach to produce PR campaigns that get results. Our talented and passionate people, and our commitment to creativity, position us an excellent partner for British Airways.”
Nicole Backo, British Airways’ regional general manager, South West Pacific, said: “We look forward to working with the team at S2i Communications. The agency has an excellent track record and a solid background in providing outstanding public relations and media support in the travel industry.
“The team will form an essential part of our success in Australia and New Zealand and will act as an extension of British Airways in this region.”
Cisco appoints PR agency
Cisco, an IT networking solutions company, has appointed Thrive PR to manage its PR efforts across Australia and New Zealand following a competitive tender process.
The account was put up for review back in June, putting Hotwire, which handles the account locally, on alert. It is unclear if they participated in the pitch.
Cori Drogemuller, head of communications, Cisco Australia & New Zealand, said: “We’re excited to kick off working with the team at Thrive PR. Cisco ANZ has a great array of customer and partner stories, innovation projects and interesting news to share.
“The appointment of Thrive PR will assist us in sharing Cisco externally, in a more compelling and creative manner – evolving our PR & Communication impact throughout Australia and New Zealand.”
Leilani Abels, managing director for Thrive, said: “To be afforded the opportunity to work with the world leader in technology, Cisco, is a terrific endorsement of our agency’s expertise in the tech and innovation space.
“Thrive will implement a B2B PR program that will engage media and key Cisco audiences in Australia and New Zealand. There are many untold stories to reveal and incredible business experts to tap into. Our strategy will be one that humanises the work that Cisco does locally and globally.
“The goal for Thrive is to deliver ongoing work that impacts the growth and success of Cisco. We are thrilled that Cisco has chosen to work with an Australian-owned, independent agency.”
Thrive will direct the Cisco account from its Sydney office, with the support of its Brisbane, Melbourne and Auckland on-the-ground teams.
PPG Architectural Coatings names digital agency
The company which owns Taubmans, White Knight, PPG Paints and Bristol has named digital agency Orchard to the account, working across its portfolio of brands.
The win came after a three-way pitch with the account moving on from incumbent, The Farm.
Nadine Miller-Vachon, marketing director, PPG Architectural Coatings, Australia & New Zealand, said it was an opportunity for the company to try new ideas.
“This is an exciting time for our company as we partner with Orchard to help us grow within the digital space,” Miller-Vachon said.
“Orchard not only demonstrated that they understood our brands and the brief but also put forward some very innovative ideas on how we could achieve differentiation within the digital space.”
