Pitch Watch: Malaysia Airlines and MYOB decide media; Sydney Aquarium selects PR agency for launch of new penguin exhibit
Mumbrella casts a regular eye over some of the media, creative and PR pitches in market.
In this wrap up: Malaysia Airlines (media appointment), MYOB (media appointment), and Sydney Aquarium (PR appointment).
Malaysia Airlines appoints media agency
GroupM has won the media account for Malaysia Airlines from IPG Mediabrands, which handled the business throughout the airline’s six-month period last year which saw it deal with two air disasters. IPG Mediabrands has also retained duties for social media.
GroupM agency brands Mindshare and M/six won the business following a pitch involving Starcom, Havas and Zenith and have set up a unit titled Team MH to service the account.
The appointment was effective from May 1 and covers global channel planning, media buying and optimisation, and search engine marketing and re-marketing. All global digital buying will be done from GroupM’s Malaysian office.
Girish Menon, CEO of GroupM Malaysia, said the appointment owed to his teams’ “understanding of the dynamic consumer journey, and applying the insights through effective use of real time data and technology.”
Grace Chan, head of group branding and communication for the airline, said that GroupM “clearly demonstrated adaptive strategic thinking using their proprietary framework and capabilities.”
MYOB moves media account away from PHD
Starcom has won the media business for accounting software provider MYOB following a competitive pitch from the incumbent agency, PHD.
The win will see Starcom provide a full-service solution in Australia and New Zealand.
Natalie Feehan, general manager – group marketing, MYOB, said in a statement: “The pitch response from Starcom demonstrated a deep understanding of our brand and market, a sophisticated approach to media, data and analytics with a compelling vision to help us take the MYOB brand to the next level. We are very pleased to announce the appointment.”
Publicis Media chief operating officer, Chris Nolan, said in a statement: “I am thrilled to create a new partnership with MYOB as they enter the next stage of their marketing journey. We are looking forward to delivering smart, effective communication solutions that will capture the imagination of current and future MYOB clients.
“It is very evident that the cultural fit and collaboration between our two teams is perfectly matched to deliver business objectives.”
Sydney Aquarium taps PR agency for launch of new Penguin Island Expedition
Communications agency History Will Be Kind has been appointed by Merlin Entertainments Group to support the launch of Sea Life Sydney Aquarium’s Penguin Island Expedition – a penguin exhibit complete with a ride.
The agency’s remit will span strategy, content creation, media, social and influencer engagement to drive awareness and ticket sales.
Emma-Jane (EJ) Granleese, managing partner of HWBK, said in a statement: “Along with being a world first and a pivotal launch in Sea Life Sydney Aquarium’s history, the opening of Penguin Island Expedition will mark the first time a colony of sub-Antarctic penguins call Sydney home. There are amazing stories to be unearthed and our diverse team of experts is perfectly positioned to tell these across channels.”
Kristy Brown, head of public relations ANZ at Merlin Entertainments Group, said in a statement: “HWBK’s channel agnostic approach and commitment to delivering creative, content driven campaigns is compelling and unique in market. We believe the team has the skills, expertise and agility to ensure our launch lives up to its true potential.”
What a week for Mediabrands, two clients leave – Coles and Malaysia Airlines. What is going on with Mediabrands, it seems to be an agency on the way down
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