Ogilvy Melbourne has won the Target creative account, B&T understands.
Ogilvy Melbourne declined to comment on the win, but sources close to the matter have told B&T that the account was won following a competitive pitch.
AJF Partnership is the incumbent agency, having won the account back in 2014. B&T contacted AJF Partnership, which declined to comment.
Famous for their Christmas campaigns, Target worked with AJF to create some of the most iconic festive campaigns in recent history. Last year, it reworked ‘Jingle Bells’ into an integrated campaign that was unapologetically upbeat and full of Christmas spirit, putting Target at the centre of whatever the perfect Christmas may look like for customers.
“Each year, the Target Christmas campaign gives us the opportunity to create iconic work that can touch all Australians,” said Scott Walker, ECD at AJF when the campaign was released. “Christmas is a time for celebrating and bringing everyone together and with ‘Target All The Way’ we feel we have created something that will not only put a smile on people’s faces, but will help position Target as the key partner for families for everything they need this festive season”.
UM Melbourne recently won the media account for the retailer following a competitive pitch valued at an estimated $25 million.
Over the last five years, Target has experienced rapid changes with several of its stores closing down and several more being folded into the Kmart brand throughout 2020 and 2021. There are currently 124 Target stores still operating in Australia.
“A number of our stores will be leaving the Target family. Some of these stores will be converting to Kmart and, sadly, some will be closing. The majority of these changes will happen this year,” Kmart said in a statement at the time. “We understand these closures will affect a lot of people in the Target community and we appreciate your patience and understanding during these challenging times. We are committed to providing every opportunity for redeployment for our team members who will be affected by these changes”.
“We are proud to have a rich history as an Australian company and we are committed to serving you, our valued customers, now and into the future. We have many Target stores which remain unaffected by today’s announcement and you can continue to shop with us online with the same ease and convenience”.
B&T contacted Target on the matter via the media email listed on the retailer’s website. The email bounced back.
