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Business on the Move New Business Marketing

Business on the Move, featuring M&S Food, Pernod Ricard and Crocs

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By The Drum Team, Editorial

March 5, 2021 | 6 min read

Another week another wave of agency account news, reviews, agency launches, rebrands and acquisitions. Check out our global round-up to see what business is on the move (and why it matters) below.

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Over the past seven days, we’ve seen fresh appointments, reviews and acquisitions from M&S Food, Pernod Ricard and Crocs / The Drum

Over the past seven days, we’ve seen fresh appointments, reviews and acquisitions from M&S Food, Pernod Ricard, Crocs, Pret a Manger and Channel 4.

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If you’ve got a business on the move story for us, send it to businessonthemove@thedrum.com for consideration before next Thursday.

Account wins

M&S Food is boosting its creative capabilities with the launch of a new in-house creative production team. The high street retailer is adopting a more agile marketing model to enable more direct partnerships and specialist collaborations. By establishing a core in-house team, M&S Food will adopt a more agile approach – enabling the team to work directly with broadcasters, media owners and production companies.

Ogilvy has been selected by Pernod Ricard USA to serve as the lead creative agency for Olmeca Altos Tequila, Tequila Avión and Del Maguey. Ogilvy will coordinate a brand and integrated communications strategy for each of the tequila and mezcal brands, with a focus on translating timeless brand stories that will drive sustained growth. Responsibilities will primarily include brand strategy, advertising and personalized content development.

GroupM-owned global data and measurement media agency Essence has been appointed as footwear brand Crocs’ integrated media agency of record in China. Led from Essence’s Shanghai office, the agency’s remit will include strategy, media planning, media activation, and content innovation for Crocs’ digital and offline brand and performance marketing campaigns.

Wunderman Thompson has won a competitive pitch to become the global creative agency for Ikea Business. Led from London, the WPP agency will be responsible for launching Ikea’s new B2B Loyalty Launch campaign in the UK, with a roll our planned across other markets. The agency's first campaign will be launching the proposition to micro and small business customers, who have been recognized as a growth segment for the brand.

Blondies Kitchen, the UK’s first and only milk and cookies bar, has appointed strategic communications and influencer agency, Halpern, to manage its consumer PR, partnerships and influencer brief following a competitive pitch.

Mambu, the cloud-native core banking platform, has appointed Forever Beta as its global brand and creative agency. Forever Beta will work on Mambu’s creative strategy and identity, defining the brand’s position in the financial technology sector, while helping to expand its reach globally.

The Victorian Government account, one of the largest in Australia, has been won by OMD. Pinched from the incumbent, MediaCom, where it had been since 2017, the partnership with OMD Australia will deliver additional benefits in priority areas aligned with Victoria’s Social Procurement Framework – including employment opportunities for those cohorts most impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic with a commitment by OMD to hire 12 young people to work on the Victorian Government account and, on an annual basis, employ an additional 15 young people across the agency.

Ongoing pitches

Channel 4 is set to review its media account for only the second time in nearly 40 years. OMD UK, the incumbent since 1982 will be invited to re-pitch for the five-year contract. IDComms will be leading Channel 4 through the process, which is due to begin soon, with a result expected in time for the contract to begin in January 2022.

The British Heart Foundation is on the hunt for a new creative agency. Incumbent agency MullenLowe is expected to re-pitch for the account, with a result due in May.

Popular coffee and food chain, Pret a Manger is seeking a creative agency to handle work covering Europe, Asia and the US. With no current incumbent, the brand is focusing on “digital creative expertise and end-to-end customer journeys”. The process begins this month, with an appointment anticipated in May.

Acquisitions

Global leader in digital experience management software, Sitecore has announced that it has entered into definitive agreements to acquire two accounts: Boxever Ltd and Four51. These acquisitions arrive following Sitecore’s unveiling of a $1.2bn investment plan to fund aggressive growth plans and product innovation earlier this year.

WPP has announced that Wunderman Thompson has acquired NN4M, a leading mobile commerce partner for global brands. Offering innovative and cutting-edge commerce services for retailers, NN4M provides its clients with connected,experience-driven solutions across mobile and in-store channels.

Business on the Move New Business Marketing

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