Telstra removes Droga5 from retainer
Creative agency Droga5 has been taken off retainer by telecommunications giant Telstra, Mumbrella can reveal.
The shift sees rivals DDB and The Monkeys picking up more creative work although Droga will remain on Telstra’s wider roster of approved agencies. Mumbrella understands that Droga5 has redeployed staff on the account to other clients as a result of the move to project-based work only. The shift took place some months back, but was not reported at the time.
“We still enjoy a loyal and vibrant relationship with Telstra,” David Nobay, creative chairman of Droga5, told Mumbrella in a statement.
“Like us, they’re presently going through one of the most exciting and dynamic periods of their business’s evolution, and it’s a great point for both of us to re-calibrate the best points of their brand to collaborate on,” he said.
Droga5 said there have been no job losses and that across its various clients, which brands such as Qantas, Unilever and Woolworths, it have hired more than 60 people this year.
A spokesman for Telstra declined to comment on shifts of work between creative agencies but confirmed the Droga5 was still part of the creative roster.
“Droga5 remains on our panel of creative agencies and are currently engaged in the business,” said the Telstra spokesman. “However, we do not comment on the specific contractual agreements we have in place with any of our agencies.”
The agency’s relationship with Telstra began shortly after it launched in Australia five years ago.
“Ironically, for all the rumours, we’ve never felt more optimistic about what the two of us can achieve together over the next year,” said Nobay.
Nic Christensen
