Australian Red Cross Blood Service appoints OMD Melbourne as new media agency partner

OMD has announced that they have been appointed the media strategy, planning and buying for the Australian Red Cross Blood Service following a competitive pitch which kicked off in December last year.

The Australian Red Cross Blood Service collects, tests, processes and distributes all donated blood and blood products in Australia. One in three Australians will need blood in their lifetime, and around 25,000 donations are required every week to maintain the nation’s blood supply.

Says Ben Scales, national campaign manager, Australian Red Cross Blood Service: “It was a very competitive pitch, in which all participating agencies presented very strong offerings. However OMD clearly demonstrated to us that they understood the future needs of our business, could deliver us outstanding media planning and strategic thinking, and put forward a strong and experienced account team to service our needs. We are very excited to be working with OMD to recruit more blood donors to our cause in the years ahead.”

Says Margie Reid, managing director, OMD Melbourne: “The Australian Red Cross Blood Service is an organisation that we have long wanted to partner with. They play such an important role in Australia’s society and we are very excited to begin working with their amazing team of marketers.”

The media business which is thought to be worth between $2-4 million annually will be hubbed out of the OMD Melbourne office.