Bankwest parts ways with Host/Havas after 10 years; appoints WPP AUNZ Group as marketing comms agency following an extensive review
Bankwest has today announced the appointment of WPP AUNZ Group as its marketing communications agency, effective January 2018.
The review process included a number of agencies as well as current agency Host/Havas and did not involve a creative pitch. The announcement sees Bankwest and Host/Havas part ways after a ten-year partnership.
WPP AUNZ Group will manage all of Bankwest’s communication needs via a central holding group model, integrating various agencies from within the group including its current media agency Ikon Communications.
The Sydney-Perth team will tap into a talent collective drawn from a number of WPP AUNZ agencies including Ikon Creative, Ogilvy Sydney, The Brand Agency, VML, PPR, PRISM, PLAY Events, Kantar and Hogarth.
Bankwest general manager customer communications and brand, Nichole Banks, said that following an extensive review process it was evident a group model would best support Bankwest’s focus on tailoring campaigns and communications that reflect and meet customers’ changing needs.
Says Banks: “We are looking forward to accessing specialist skills and creative from within the wider-group of agency brands both within WA and nationally and building on the strength of our current relationship with Ikon Communications.”
Says Mike Connaghan (left), CEO, WPP AUNZ: “We’re excited by the opportunity to broaden and deepen our relationship with Bankwest through the development of this unique agency model, it’s about giving the team access to the best talent wherever it sits in the group, without the complexity of managing multiple agency relationships.”
Says Laura Aldington, CEO at Host/Havas: “We’ve enjoyed ten good years with Bankwest and I’d like to take the opportunity to thank them for their long standing partnership. We’re excited by how 2018 is shaping up for us and we wish the Bankwest team the best of luck with everything for the year ahead too.”
8 Comments
Another nail in the sad demise of a once good agency.
Is it poor leadership or just a sign of the times that mediocrity can’t survive?
“Hey guys, we’re about to lose a big client. Let’s force a merge with another agency to cover our financial asses. Somebody call Havas and tell them we’re moving in.”
@another nail, we are here to make the play.
Talent collective?
CommBank Village stage 2 anyone? Didn’t seem to work so well then….
We can hear Host celebrating from here. Well done on an admirable innings, and finally being free of the big orange anchor.
A win is a win is a win. So, congrats on that. But it sounds CommBank Village all over again. Great in principle, a nightmare in practice.Lets hope it works beer for BankWest than it did for CommBank.
In the world can’t hide the internal host view of terrible leadership, a lack of strategy skills and vanilla creative..