Vodafone pitch concludes, Howatson+Co takes the win
Howatson+Company has won Vodafone’s creative account, beating out five other agencies in the pitch process.
The account went to pitch earlier this year, after parent company TPG Telecom welcomed a new chief marketing officer.
Rebecca Darley joined from Domain Group, replacing John Casey who “stepped back” from the role. She is responsible for the marketing departments across TPG Telecom’s brands: Vodafone, TPG, Felix, iiNet, and Lebara.
As many new CMOs often do, Darley reviewed the brand’s creative agency arrangements, and decided to part ways with incumbent Saatchi & Saatchi. It was understood she was looking for an agency that can help the brand return to a strong challenger position in the category.
Darley said Howatson+Co impressed the brand with its “bold thinking, cultural alignment and creative firepower”.
“Vodafone is a brand that thrives on challenging conventions, and we’re excited to partner with Chris [Howatson] and the H+Co team to push boundaries,” she said in a release on Wednesday.
She also thanked Saatchis for its “commitment and creativity over recent years”.
Howatson+Co boss Chris Howatson said the appointment “means a lot” to him and the agency.
“Personally, Vodafone was my first carrier. Professionally, Vodafone is one of the top 100 most valuable global brands and is on a growth gradient here in Australia,” he said in the release.
“It’s a privilege to partner with Bec, Lisa Cronin and their teams.”
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Lauren McNamara was the associate editor at Mumbrella. She joined in November 2022 as editorial assistant, after completing a Bachelor of Communications (Journalism) at UTS. She left Mumbrella in August 2025.
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Would the last creative agency standing who hasn’t worked on Vodafone before please come forward!
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