In May there were a bomber of impressive creative and media wins meaning we’ve got a bumper New Business Winners rankings this time out – with particularly stiff competition in the creative stakes.
But first, an apology – we’re a couple of weeks late on May’s New Business Winners roundup and we’re sorry. Cannes in Cairns (in case you’d somehow missed it) took most of our attention at the start of this month.
Anyway, in our last rankings looking at April’s account wins Publicis took gold for its mammoth global Spotify deal which will see a bespoke agency – OneVibe – constructed to manage its media operations. Over on the creative side, Accenture Song picked up gold for its NRMA account win.
Given that Mel Fein, Chris Colter and Sam Geer all served NRMA impressively during their time at Initiative and are now set to join Accenture Song to run a new media division, was there more in that win than initially met the eye? We’re speculating, of course.
What we’re not speculating about are this month’s new business winners, however. Starting with your Media winners.
Media Agencies
Bronze – Resolution Digital, My Plates
At the start of the month, Resolution Digital picked up the media account for personalised rego brand MyPlates following a five-way competitive pitch.
“As a data driven e-commerce company, we need a media agency who understands ad tech and how to use data intelligently,” said MyPlates CEO David McGrath, adding that the Omnicom-owned agency’s knowledge of intent-based performance marketing and dynamic messaging saw it win the day.
Silver – The Media Store, Melbourne Royal Show
Close to the end of May, The Media Store picked up the media account for the Melbourne Royal Show, covering its media strategy, planning and buying across all channels as well as partnership and contra management.
Melbourne Royal’s marketing campaign manager Grace Usher lauded The Media Store for its ability to turn the show’s “challenges” into “opportunities.”
Gold – UM, Levi’s
At the start of the month, it was revealed that UM had won the global media account for Levi’s, stealing it away from Omnicom’s OMD.
Aside from giving the staff the opportunity to get their hands on some stylish new denims, the win will keep UM’s paymasters very happy. Globally, the account is thought to be worth around $AU217 million according to data from COMvergence – with US spend accounting for around half that.
“This relationship will help drive greater cohesion, scale, agility and insights to support brand connection with Levi’s fans everywhere,” a Levi’s spokesperson told Campaign US.
Creative Agencies
Bronze – 72andSunny, Stake
The team at 72andSunny kicked off May on the right foot, winning the creative account for investment management platform Stake, and taking charge of its brand strategy, brand design and integrated communications.
“We were impressed with 72andSunny’s expertise in modern brand building, across strategy, creative and design. From the initial learning sessions, it was clear that their collaborative approach resonated with our needs, and we’re excited about what we can achieve,” said Bryan Wilmot, Stake’s CMO.
Silver – Sunday Gravy, Ego Pharmaceuticals
Sunday Gravy picked up the creative account for Ego Pharmaceuticals following a competitive pitch last month. Owning brands such as QV Skincare and SunSense Sunscreen, the agency said that its “ideas that last” approach will help solidify the deep relationships that customers have with Ego’s brands.
“We were looking for a creative agency partner that was just as passionate about long-term brand building and collaboration as we are. We are excited to take our brands to the next level and improve the lives of more Australians through our products together with Sunday Gravy,” said Tenille Taylor, marketing manager, Ego Pharmaceuticals ANZ.
Gold – Special, Cricket Australia
Given New Zealand’s noted lack of a decent cricket side, one would have thought that Kiwi-based creatives Special would have been out of the running for this account. Fortunately, it seems as though the creative operations for the upcoming women’s and men’s international series are being run out of Melbourne.
The agency won the business following a competitive pitch process. Special has been tasked with creating a unifying idea for the international series that not only drums up excitement but enhances its role as a must-attend event during the summer.
