Initiative Australia has extended its contract with Goodman Fielder without a pitch. The agency will continue handling the company’s above the line media, including strategy, planning, buying, implementing and reporting, as well as retail marketing planning.
Initiative was first appointed as Goodman Fielder’s media agency in 2020 and awarded its below the line retail marketing planning in early 2023. The extension with Initiative follows the December appointment of TBWA\Sydney as its integrated creative agency following a competitive pitch process.
Goodman Fielder is known for its supermarket brands including Helgas, Yoplait, Cheezels, Praise and MeadowLea (see classic 80s ad below).
Initiative CEO Jo McAlister said in today’s challenging market the strength of client-agency partnership and the trust a client must have in its agency’s strategy and capabilities comes to the fore.
“We are delighted Goodman Fielder has placed its business for a further 12 months firmly back in our hands, enabling Initiative to fulfil the brand’s ambition to take a more holistic approach to its media strategy and investment,” she said.
“Since taking a more universal approach to Goodman Fielder’s investment, we have been able to ensure ATL, at-shelf and at-home work seamlessly together to deliver stronger results for the brand and create a true consumer-first end-to-end solution. The results speak for themselves.”
Goodman Fielder CMO Christine Fung said: “Initiative is a forward-thinking agency with excellent account management that really create community with their clients. We are delighted to maintain our long-term collaborative partnership, with shared drive for learning as we continue our growth journey.”
In 2024 Initiative took home the metal for several innovative Goodman Fielder campaigns including the MFA Award for Best Use of Screens Initiative.
The agency also helped launch media for Praise’s new brand platform ‘Give It Some Mayo’.
McAlister, the former Sydney MD, was appointed CEO in November, taking over from Melissa Fein, who left the agency to join Accenture Song.
