McCann Melbourne has been appointed to the University of Melbourne business following a competitive pitch.

The pitch kicked off in November 2014 and saw McCann competing with a number of major agencies through an open tender.

The win follows a big start to the year for McCann Melbourne that saw the agency add the blue-chip AGL Energy business to its expanding client roster, which now includes L’Oreal Paris, the Australian Federal Government, Bendigo Bank, Tigerair, Nimble, Metro Trains, Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation, WorkSafe and Lion.

The appointment also follows the news that McCann Melbourne was the top-ranked Australian creative agency by the World Advertising Research Centre’s (WARC) creative rankings, coming in 6^th globally.

McCann Melbourne managing director Adrian Mills said: “The University of Melbourne is an extraordinary institution. They’re the largest research institute in Australia and a clear number 1 in their category. The opportunity for great work is really exciting and we can’t wait to get started.”

University of Melbourne executive director of marketing communications, Lara McKay, said: “We are delighted to announce the appointment of McCann to the University of Melbourne business after completing a rigorous tender process. The work McCann Melbourne has developed for other iconic Victorian brands, such a Metro Trains, V/Line and Bendigo Bank, speaks for itself and we look forward to working closely with them in telling the stories of those that make the University of Melbourne such a remarkable place.”

McCann Melbourne ECD Pat Baron added: “The higher education category tends to talk in themes like leadership, the future and global opportunity. We’re looking forward to challenging these conventions and we’re working with the right people to do this.”