QUT pitches its creative account; BCM Group stands down after 23 years as incumbent agency
The Queensland University of Technology (QUT) is pitching its $6 million creative account and has attracted over 25 agencies looking to take it off the incumbent agency, BCM after holding it for 23 years.
It is understood that QUT invited all agencies, including, CHEP, Publicis, VMLY&R, Colony, Rumble, Clemenger Group, Jack Nimble, and Ogilvy, among others to express their interest and participate in a statutory review process that closed this week, and it the list is to be shortened by just four agencies by the end of next week.
QUT spends between $3 million and $6 million
The current EOI outlines a potential panel arrangement across digital marketing, creative and content production, with QUT explaining the main marketing services that will facilitate QUT’s corporate and faculty advertising campaigns for recruiting future and prospective domestic and international students to QUT.
BCM has consistently tendered and has held the account as the incumbent agency for over 20 years with an integrated remit including creative services, media planning, digital production and creative, however, the agency will not be participating in the statutory review this time.
BCM Group partner and managing director, Phil McDonald, told Mumbrella: “Yes, we can confirm that after 23 years as the incumbent agency for Queensland University of Technology (QUT), we will not be tendering for the account. It was a difficult decision to make, and one we thought very carefully about.
“We have had and continue to have an incredible relationship with this client, and if it were a matter of things rolling over, I wouldn’t think twice. But we’re choosing the pitches we take very strategically this year, and for a number of reasons, creatively and commercially, we’ve decided not to participate in this statutory review.”
“We are incredibly proud of the ‘real world’ brand platform that we have bought to life over the last couple of decades for QUT,” he said. “It has been one of the most enduring platforms I’ve seen in any category and continues to be a powerful and engaging brand idea to this day.”
McDonald said: “Our creative, media and digital teams have had a great time working on it and within it in what has been a process of continued re-invention, and they have maintained its relevance brilliantly for the last two decades. We’ve been able to drive some big innovations for our client in the technology, mobile and data space over the years and we’re grateful for the category and audience knowledge we’ve acquired as a result.”
“Over the years BCM has developed a bespoke account structure for QUT to match the skill sets required, something we are always happy to do for our clients,” he said. “But the client is now looking at a different arrangement for agency services that are far less integrated than the service we have been providing. For us, that doesn’t warrant the huge resource required for a pitch process like this and we’ve chosen to focus on new projects for other current clients and some recent wins.”
“We’re thankful to our great QUT clients for a rewarding and enjoyable partnership, and we look forward to seeing the QUT brand platform evolve into the future.”
QUT told Mumbrella that because “we are still in the middle of the tender process, we will not comment further at this stage.”
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A really committed late entry for Worst Pitch Process of 2022. I think QUT will walk it. From more than 25 agencies to 20 at stage one? And the reward at the end – a place on a panel? Wow. Good on the BCM team for sticking to their principles.
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