WPP and iProspect had months to remember in September. WPP landed half of perhaps the most valuable account in advertising—Amazon’s media—while iProspect took home eBay’s media account.
These huge media wins were not matched on the creative side of the aisle, with only several small wins—save for one significant global extension—making it onto our list.
There are, however, several significant creative pitches underway, not least the ANZ and Westpac accounts. B&T understands that a number of the country’s premier advertising agencies are working hammer-and-tongs to secure these accounts. There are even rumours of some top overseas talent jetting in for the final stages of one of the pitches.
But back to September. There was a litany of media wins. Orange Line won Fantastic Furniture, Bench Media won Hays Recruitment, Half Dome won the performance work for Amplify, Spark won Revlon and Media33 won Barry’s Drinks.
The creative side was quieter. VML won the creative for two Perth shopping centres and Society won Optometry Australia.
But here, reader, are your New Business Winners for September.
Media
Bronze — Atomic 212°
Atomic had a very strong September, picking up the accounts for Chinese automaker Great Wall Motors (GWM) and Bluescope.
In a competitive pitch, the team picked up GWM beating incumbent Nunn Media to the growing account.
“After a sustained period of growth, GWM is ready to take the next step towards becoming one of the region’s leading auto brands and after meeting with Atomic 212°, it became clear that they had the necessary tools, people and experience to help us with this exciting challenge,” said its head of marketing and communications, Steve Maciver.
Bluescope, meanwhile, holds brands including COLORBOND steel, TRUECORE steel and ZINCALUME steel—and is a big spender across TV.
Atomic 212° head of client service Sydney, Ashleigh Carter, said: “Having grown up seeing the BlueScope and COLORBOND brands all over our screens, to now experiencing these well-known brands and products firsthand, I am excited to continue to drive preference for both COLORBOND steel and TRUECORE steel through innovative, audience-led media solutions.”
Silver — iProspect
The team at Dentsu’s iProspect spectacularly kicked off September, picking up the global media account for eBay. The online retailer kicked off its creative review in April and EssenceMedicaom had held the account since 2019.
Three agencies had been vying for the account, including EssenceMediacom, iProspect and Havas. COMvergence predicts eBay will spend north of $350 million on media in 2024 with about half of this handled by iProspect, and the other half – its performance marketing spend – handled internally.
An eBay spokesperson said iProspect was a stand out due to its “passion of the eBay brand and their strong operating model”. B&T understands Australia’s iProspect team were heavily involved in the review in this region.
“In support of our long-term growth goals, eBay’s marketing organisation has embarked on a global transformation—moving from a decentralised market-based model to a more centralised model that provides global efficiencies. To support this evolution, we were looking for a media agency partner who can help us identify synergies and scale globally while staying true to the unique needs of our customers within each market,” the spokesperson said.
Gold — WPP
When the biggest account in advertising — thought to be worth more than AU$7 billion — lands, you’d expect the winning agency to top our list of New Business Winners.
And such was the case in September when, after a very protracted review process, Amazon decided to split its media account between WPP and the Omnicom Media Group (OMG). WPP will run the APAC and EMEA media remits, with OMG running the Americas.
Amazon had spent 11 years with IPG Mediabrands, which even created Rufus, a bespoke agency for the company to run its operations. The decision to ditch IPG and split the account around the world like the 1494 Treaty of Tordesillas, took some six months to arrive at.
“After a comprehensive advertising agency review for our consumer business, we’ve chosen to partner with OMG and WPP,” Amazon spokesperson Margaret Callahan said in a statement to ADWEEK.
“This decision was made after a careful and extensive review process,” Callahan. “We investigated each agency’s marketplace expertise, media planning experience at all levels, media pricing, measurement abilities, and account management in all geographic regions.”
According to Amazon, the decision to move on to new agencies was not a reflection of past work but about choosing what’s best for the company moving forward.
“We appreciate the discussions with of all the world-class agencies we met during our search,” Callahan said.
Creative
Bronze — Houston Group
At the back end of September, Houston Group won a competitive pitch for the ACT’s Suburban Land Agency’s brand and creative strategy. The Suburban Land Agency, if you’re not familiar, buys and sells land on behalf of the ACT’s government to create public and private housing, aiming to boost the supply of affordable housing and create “buzzing” communities — which is no mean feat given how dull the nation’s capital can be.
The Suburban Land Agency was apparently impressed with Houston’s brand transformation experience and place-making capability across Australia’s property organisations following its work with the likes of Lendlease, TOGA Group, The Agency and 151 Property, and its experience working with government bodies including NSW’s Uptown Accelerator program, Westfund, CSU and Vic Health.
“We couldn’t be more excited to form this new partnership, working alongside the entire Suburban Land Agency to demonstrate the value they add in creating thriving communities for the ACT. Helping to enhance brand perceptions and establish that the Suburban Land Agency is truly transforming the shape of Canberra, is what we’re here to do,” said Houston Group CEO and founder, Stuart O’Brien.
Silver — 10 Feet Tall
The team at Melbourne indie 10 Feet Tall would have been on top of the world come the end of September. On 17 September, it won the creative account for Melbourne-based Italian smallgoods company Puopolo — think salamis, other cured meets — and seven days later, it became creative agency of record for Happy Happy Foods as it gears up to launch its flagship Soy Boy soy milk.
“Partnering with 10 Feet Tall marks an exciting new chapter for our brand. Their strategic approach to unlocking creative potential aligns perfectly with our vision. We’re not just launching a product, we’re creating a movement that celebrates taste and purpose. 10 Feet Tall’s creative approach is exactly what we need to bring this vision to life,” said Lloyd Smith, founder of Happy Happy Foods.
Meanwhile, Jasmine Spiers, marketing manager of Puopolo said, “This partnership marks a new chapter for our family business. We’re looking forward to seeing how 10 Feet Tall’s creativity can help us honour the brand’s traditions while appealing to a new generation of food lovers.”
Gold — DDB
Technically this one isn’t a new business win, it’s an extension. But it isn’t every day that anyone lands an account as large and as prestigious as VW.
The German automotive brand’s contract with DDB ended in 2023, but the agency was given two six-month extensions. Now, DDB has extended its 60-year partnership with the People’s Car company for another three.
Under the new contract, Omnicom has strategically united its various international agencies to create a “united global group” that showcases its top global talent. Led by a team based in Berlin, this group will work closely with the VW media team at PHD to ensure comprehensive account coverage. The partnership will also extend to include precision marketing as part of a broader shake-up of the company’s customer experience and production processes.
The Australian team has been producing some impressive work for VW of late, too. In February, it launched its first brand campaign in seven years before later revealing the ‘Roo Badges’ campaign that sees the iconic VW roundel replaced by a new badge that emits a high-frequency noise to ward off kangaroos from hopping onto the road and into the front of drivers’ Golfs or Amaroks.