June was quite the month for new business—at least before Cannes got in the way and put a firm stop to serious work for a lot of the industry.
It was a particularly busy month for the country’s media agencies, with Affinity winning ActewAGL, Media33 winning The Body Shop and Enigma winning startup the Humm Group.
The creative side of the industry was slightly quieter, however. It’s Friday picked up the creative account for pet shop Swaggle and Whippet won First National Real Estate. But onto the podiums and the two very big winners atop each.
Check out the previous B&T New Business Winners.
Creative Agencies
Bronze – Agency Next Door
At the start of June, Queensland-based indie was toasting the win of Taylors Wines and it was quite the package.
The Burleigh Heads agency will lead the development and launch of a new global brand platform and refreshed creative positioning for Taylors, as the winery seeks to meet the evolving demands of a new generation of wine consumers around the world.
“Taylors is an iconic Australian brand with genuine heritage credentials ready for contemporisation,” said Kieran Burke, managing partner at A.N.D. “We’ve all grown up seeing a bottle of Taylors on the dining room table. Taylors feels like a familiar stranger to many, and we’re thankful to the Taylors family and marketing team for entrusting us with the opportunity to help make the brand a little more familiar.”
Taylors Wines CMO Tanya Marler said A.N.D impressed the team with a compelling blend of strategic insight and culturally resonant creativity.
“We’re on a journey to future-proof the Taylors brand by targeting a younger demographic,” said Marler. “With this comes a minefield of nuance, and we were impressed with Agency Next Door’s creative strategy. They deeply understood our challenges and clearly articulated a path forward for our desire to play in the contemporary heritage space.”
Cheers to that!
Silver – Dentsu Creative
Dentsu Creative drove off with a decent win in June, becoming the creative agency of record for Chinese car brand Chery. Zeno Group was also named as its retained public relations agency.
The win is the first under Dentsu’s interim creative leadership, with Brett Colliver currently guiding the Australian team following the departure of CCO Ben Coulson earlier this year.
“With our deep expertise in the automotive space — both locally and globally — we’re thrilled to partner with Chery as it rolls out an exciting new generation of vehicles,” a Dentsu Creative spokesperson said.
Chery’s local operations are led by chief operating officer Lucas Harris, who said the brand was impressed by Dentsu’s strategic and creative credentials. “Their strategic expertise and creative energy align perfectly with our vision as we continue to grow our brand and connect with audiences in more impactful ways,” Harris said.
Dentsu Creative will lead the charge on brand campaigns and creative communications, crafting what it describes as “bold, high-impact campaigns” to support Chery’s expansion. The appointment marks a significant return to the automotive category for Dentsu, following the end of its ten-year partnership with Toyota in 2023.
Gold – Accenture Song
Yes, technically this was a media win as much as a creative win but it had to sit somewhere and we don’t have the Photoshop smarts to redesign the podiums in our lead image.
It was one of the most talked about pitches of the year with months of industry speculation and many in the sector prematurely announcing that Accenture Song had won it. CEO of incumbent media agency Anathea Ruys would say the industry speculation and rumour was “disheartening” and that it created an “environment of uncertainty and unnecessary pressure” for the UM team that “at times” became “distressing”.
But not a moment after the ink had officially dried on the contract, B&T was on-hand to deliver you the news first. Droga5 will now handle Optus’ creative advertising and production, while the more recently established Accenture Song Media division, led by managing directors Melissa Fein, Sam Geer and Chris Colter, will handle end-to-end media strategy, planning and buying. B&T understands it spends north of $100 million on media billings with the bulk on digital, around 60 per cent, and the remainder on non-digital media.
Apparent has been appointed as specialist B2B creative partner and production incumbent BRX will remain the production partner under an expanded scope. Optus had worked with M+C Saatchi and Emotive for its creative.
Optus head of marketing Cam Luby said: “As the way people live, work and connect evolves, we’ve chosen partners who truly understand our industry and bring future-fit capabilities we need to stay ahead — especially in AI, automation, and data-led storytelling. With the right blend of creativity and technology across our new agency panel, we’re excited about the opportunities ahead.
“This new lineup brings together unmatched firepower to help us drive more integrated, effective, and future-ready marketing.”
Media Agencies
Bronze – OMD
OMD started June limbering up to take on the media duties for activewear brand Under Armour. The Omnicom-owned agency won the business across APAC, thought to be worth some AU$61 million across the region.
OMD will be responsible for brand and performance media planning and buying across China, Korea, and South APAC, which comprises Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Hong Kong. The decision builds on the relationship that began in 2023, when Under Armour named OMD its Media AOR for North America and EMEA.
“We are excited to expand our global partnership with OMD. Their unmatched scale, sharp strategy, fresh thinking, and best-in-class analytics make them an exceptional partner. As our brand continues to grow globally and lean further into a digital-first approach, this collaboration will help us stay connected, move faster, and maximise impact. We’re energised by what’s ahead and what we’ll build together,” Dimitrija Georgiev, head of media and digital marketing, Under Armour, said.
Silver – Avenue C
Also at the start of June, indie shop Avenue C announced it had won the media planning and buying work for AMP following a competitive pitch—a significant piece of work for the agency.
Avenue C will handle all media planning and buying responsibilities except search and affiliate marketing, which will be managed internally by AMP’s in-house team.
“Throughout the pitch process, Avenue C demonstrated a deep understanding of our ambitions and a real mastery of full-funnel media thinking,” said AMP CMO Tina Cleary.
“Their team brought a sharp strategic lens paired with an impressive ability to connect long-term brand growth with short-term performance outcomes.
“AMP is entering an exciting chapter, with a bold roadmap of product innovation ahead. We’re thrilled to partner with Avenue C as we reshape what AMP stands for in the hearts and minds of Australians.”
Gold – Publicis Groupe
Just before Cannes, the Publicis global behemoth announced its latest global win—the US$1.7 billion (AU$2.6 billion) Mars global media business. Arthur Sadoun’s charges beat incumbent WPP and Omnicom to the account, which covers 70 markets including Australia.
The pitch, which began in 2024, covered Mars snacking and pet care divisions, including brands Snickers, M&Ms, Wrigley’s, Royal Canin, and Pedigree. Publicis will also handle media for Mars Food & Nutrition, which includes brands such as Ben’s Original, Seeds of Change and Masterfoods. Publicis’ remit covers media, production, commerce, paid social and influencer marketing.
Mars has also handed its brand PR to Interpublic Group, with Weber Shandwick taking the role as lead agency. Weber Shandwick works with Kellanova (the parent company of Kellogg’s), which Mars is in the process of acquiring.
Publicis has created a bespoke solution, One Mars, to handle the account from 1 January 2026.
“Mars’ iconic brands and our unmatched capabilities – powered by the depth of our Connected ID, core AI and human insights – we are ready, energised and eager to bring to life the One Mars platform and help deliver the next generation of brand building for this special company, as we redefine the industry in the age of AI together,” said Publicis Groupe CEO Arthur Sadoun.
Gülen Bengi, lead chief marketing officer at Mars and chief growth officer at Mars Snacking, added: “Without exception, every agency that participated brought forward outstanding thinking, creativity and passion.
“I’m deeply grateful for the diligence and dedication of our associates who orchestrated this process, and to our incumbent partners for their collaboration and commitment to our business.”
The Mars loss came a day after WPP chief executive Mark Read announced he was stepping down.
Check out the previous B&T New Business Winners.
