The biggest creative pitch wins of 2017
From Maccas to Virgin Australia, 2017 saw plenty of shifts and shuffles across adland's creative board. Here are some of the biggest.
February
Saatchi & Saatchi wins Devondale dairy
The first work from the team was released in May, in order to promote the dairy brand’s Masterchef sponsorship.
March
Vodafone returns to WPP, with J. Walter Thompson winning telco
Just three months after being dumped by Cummins & Partners, Vodafone handed the local business back to its global partner WPP.
April
McDonald’s drops Leo Burnett, consolidates with DDB Sydney
DDB Sydney took back control of the account after little to no work was produced out of Leo Burnett in the space of six months.
June
Cummins & Partners wins HBF
HBF began pitching in March, eventually appointing Cummins & Partners at the beginning of June.
DDB Sydney lands Virgin Australia
One of the biggest creative pitch wins of the year came courtesy of Virgin Australia, who eventually appointed DDB after a competitive pitch process. The team’s first campaign was released in September, centred around ‘Uptimism’ with the tagline “here’s to looking up”.
August
The Monkeys wins Holden SUV
In August, Mark Harland, director of marketing and customer experience at Holden told Mumbrella automotive marketing in Australia had become unremarkable, with the once-meaningful Holden brand getting lost in the mix. The team released their first work in early December, telling women: “Got nothing to prove? Prove it”.
McCain Foods appoints Cummins & Partners
Cummins & Partners replaced TBWA Melbourne, who took the account in 2013 after McCain Foods ended its 25 year relationship with Ogilvy.
September
The Monkeys win the NRMA account
Described as “one of the largest accounts in the Australian market”, insurer NRMA broke from M&C Saatchi, its incumbent agency of three years, back in September. The team released its first work in early December in time for Christmas ad season.