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Pitching time: L&P and Pump leave Saatchi for DDB; Sanitarium plays the field; and Contagion wins Epson

DDB has been confirmed as the new account holder on the L&P and Pump accounts (part of the Coca-Cola Amatil group).

This sees the accounts moving on from incumbent Saatchi & Saatchi.

DDB won the account in a three-way pitch understood to have included Saatchi & Saatchi and Assignment Group.

Leigh Moss, head of marketing and design at Coca-Cola Amatil NZ, says “The DDB team demonstrated a real passion for our brands and a strong desire to drive their growth. They put a huge amount of thought into how we can make these brands even more loved than they currently are, and we’re excited to see this come to life through their creative work.”

This comes at busy time for DDB on the business front, with the agency having recently won a slice of Ecostore’s creative business as well as being involved in a pitch for the BMW/Mini Cooper account.

DDB chief executive Justin Mowday says he’s looking forward to getting started with the pair of drinks brands. 

“The chance to work on brands like Pump and L&P doesn’t come around every day, so to [have the chance to] nail the opportunity is fantastic,” Mowday says.

“On the one hand you’ve got an undisputed category leader in Pump, and on the other in L&P you’ve got a brand that’s more than a brand — it’s part of our cultural fabric.”

The comment on L&P is certainly true, with the brand having developed some very memorable campaigns of the years.

DDB will hope to add to this legacy.    

Saatchi woes

While L&P and Pump aren’t necessarily the biggest accounts in the industry, their loss will come as a blow for Saatchi, which has endured quite a rough patch over the last 12 months, bidding farewell to the Spark, Tui and New Zealand Defence Force accounts.

Commenting about the loss of the pair of Coca-Cola Amatil accounts, Saatchi and Saatchi general manager Paul Wilson says: “We are proud of the work we’ve done with the team at CCA New Zealand over the years, especially the online content platform, L&P Live, we launched for them this year. They have been great partners and we wish them all the best. We look forward to continuing to work with CCA in Australia on Mount Franklin and Deep Spring.”

In related news, Sanitarium has also ended its ‘agency of record’ partnership with Saatchi.

The company, which owns a broad range of food products (including Weet-bix), will instead be working with a variety of agencies.    

A statement from Sanitarium said: “To meet fast-changing business needs Sanitarium has made the decision to invest in a panel of creative specialists rather than any one agency on a retained relationship. We remain in an open discussion with Saatchi as we assess ongoing projects.”

Despite the tough period for the agency, Wilson remains optimistic.

“Yes, it’s been a year of consolidation for the agency, but we’re keeping our heads down and working hard. We’ve got an awesome portfolio of clients we love working with and that, coupled with some great new talent and new clients in the building, we can’t help but be optimistic about the future.”

Contagion pens a name in the ledger    

Contagion has announced it’s been awarded the Epson NZ account after a short pitch, according to a release.
 
Epson NZ was looking for a local approach in marketing its brand of printing and projector solutions and wanted a partner who understood human insights, and could bring this speciality to the Epson brand, the release says.
 
Epson New Zealand general manager Simon Rogers says New Zealand is a big growth area for the company.
 
“[Contagion] won our account because they understand Epson, our products and messaging, and critically the New Zealand consumer particularly well. Their understanding and insights are vital in helping Epson give as much as possible to our customers in New Zealand.”
 
Contagion managing director Dean Taylor says he’s excited about the win.
 
“We knew when we met with Simon and the team, that they were looking for someone to help give them a fresh Kiwi voice in the market. We see an opportunity to work with a global partner wanting to break with convention.”

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