Australian charity The Smith Family hires JWT Sydney as its lead advertising agency partner

Australian children’s charity The Smith Family has appointed JWT Sydney as its lead creative agency, following a competitive pitch conducted late in 2013. The agency begins work on the account immediately, with strategy development and new campaign briefings first items on the agenda.

An Australian charity established more than 90 years ago, The Smith Family’s mission is to create opportunities for young Australians in need by providing long-term support for their participation in education.

As its new lead agency, JWT will work closely with The Smith Family team on all of its ATL communications, driving strategy and delivering individual fundraising and brand objectives with a strong acquisition focus.

JWT Sydney’s general manager Jenny Willits said the pitch process had focused on the values and approach of the agency to ensure they were aligned with those of the charitable organization, rather than a specific creative brief.

Says Willits: “Our agency philosophy was incredibly important to The Smith Family, and it was also of interest to both organizations that the teams were able to work in partnership to achieve common goals. There was a lot of discussion around our internal processes, how we approach our work and how we evaluate success. The result was an insider’s view into the agency, so we feel very confident that we’ll work well together right from the outset.”

Says Dr Lisa O’Brien, The Smith Family’s CEO: “We were looking for an agency with proven and successful advertising and direct marketing experience, together with a capable team to fulfill, and capacity to support, our extensive and integrated needs. But most importantly we were looking for the right agency ‘fit’ and we believe we’ve found that with JWT Sydney.”

Willits said the first campaign the agency would be working on is the 2014 Winter Appeal, due to launch in several months.