Hirepool has brought mediaR onboard as its new full service partner following a “rigorous” creative pitch that is understood to have involved five agencies.
After the merge of Hirepool and Hirequip two years ago, Hirepool was looking to the future for new growth opportunities and to consolidate its position as a market leader so it sought out a new agency to work with, according to a release issued by mediaR.
The review and pitch process was based on delivering a strategic marketing review and implementation plan for Hirepool’s business needs for the next two to three years.
“After a thorough review process, mediaR was chosen for its fresh thinking – plus they ‘got us’ from the start and what we are about and they share our company values,” Hirepool general manager of sales and marketing Gary Richardson says.
MediaR director Tony Richards told StopPress the competitive process was rigorous: “We thoroughly embraced that. Each time we met it allowed us to get more involved and get under the skin of the business.”
Richards says the creative pitch was a three-part process.
“It was a strategic pitch in the first instance. There was no creative. It was about a three-part process. One was an approach [for]our credentials to get onto the list. The second one was to review a strategic business plan they had prepared and how we’d approach it then there was a presentation to the key executive and Hirepool then there was a shortlist of three that were considered and then there was a presentation to the board, and that became the final decision.”
Richards says that there was a natural synergy between the brand and his agency, which led to the account win.
“They got us and more importantly we got them,” he says. “And having that understanding is what helped cement our relationship there. The recommendations from a strategic viewpoint very much aligned with their requirements. I think it was more about getting the needs of the business over the next two to three years. As much as it was personal [it was]also very much from a business understanding of what they were trying to achieve. It’s a dual synergy and it’s about people and the business and we clicked on all levels.”
He says the agency is pleased with the win and that the team is focused on moving the brand forward.
“We are really strategically helping them to plan where they are going. Personally, it’s what gets me up in the morning being able to make a contribution to that level.”
While the pitch was strategically focused, the appointment covers all facets of Hirepool’s strategic, marketing and communication needs.
Richards would not comment on who the other pitching agencies were, and Hirepool’s general manager of sales and marketing Gary Richardson was not available when our writer tried to contact him.
The long-standing company now has 58 branches nationally and will celebrate its 60th anniversary this year.
One of Hirepool’s last high-profile advertising campaigns involved Pete and Andy Walker of The Block NZ who managed to entertain a big chunk of the nation with their cheeky quips and farm boy antics early last year.
The ad, which came in 15- and 30-second versions, was made by Auckland-based Brand Assist and directed by Hugh Walsh, with Lassoo Media & PR handling media placement.
The New Zealand Rental Group, which owns Hirepool, purchased Hirequip in May 2013 and merged the two entities, with Hirequip’s emphasis on heavy equipment and Hirepool’s focus on specialist and SME markets providing “a complementary customer offering and broad operational capabilities”, StopPress reported earlier.
According to Nielsen, Hirepool’s ad spend in 2012 was $105,000, $66,000 in 2013 during its rebrand, and then it jumped significantly in 2014 to $547,000.
