Activation Union has announced its appointment as Diageo Australia’s below-the-line agency of record.
Activation Union was founded by James Neale (lead image) and opened in March this year. Neale brings over 18 years of Diageo experience from agency-side roles, adding a wealth of knowledge and category credentials.
“After an extensive market review, we are thrilled to announce that Activation Union has been appointed as our below-the-line creative agency. We believe that the partnership with Activation Union will play a pivotal role in achieving our strategic objectives and look forward to the creativity and innovation they will bring to our marketing efforts. With their expertise, we are confident that we will excel in the ever-evolving landscape of consumer and shopper engagement,” said Hayden Abercrombie, marketing director at Diageo.
“The primary objective of the review is to transform how we engage consumers and shoppers at the moment of choice. Activation Union demonstrated an unmatched ability to develop insight-led, breakthrough shopper marketing activities that we believe will foster sustainable and profitable category growth for our brands,” said Adds Ben Balesteri, head of shopper at Diageo.
As the agency’s name suggests, ‘Union’ provokes a philosophy of partnership, enabling the agency to bring in the best external skills to complement in-house capabilities. For Diageo, Activation Union has partnered with Howatson+Company to support with data, technology and creative.
“James is a brilliant operator and we couldn’t be more thrilled to partner with him and his talented team. Hayden and Ben have a brilliant vision for their future growth and the opportunity to contribute to their success is a real privilege,” said Chris Howatson, CEO at Howatson+Company.
