Prominent ad agencies slogging it out in pitches for 2degrees and NZ Post

NZ Post has shown a willingness to take a few risk in its advertising. Image/File.

The end of 2018 is turning out to be a busy period for the nation's advertising agencies, with a number of high profile account moves taking place.

Only a few days after news that the Vodafone creative account migrated from FCB to DDB, the Herald can now confirm that 2degrees has shortlisted Saatchi & Saatchi NZ and TBWA as potential replacements.

Neither the agencies nor the client would comment on the pitch, given it was still ongoing.

2degrees was left without an agency after DDB opted to sign the much bigger Vodafone account.

A source in the industry told the Herald that the 2degrees marketing team, led by Roy Ong, had acted fast to find a replacement for DDB.

Interestingly, a move to either Saatchi or TBWA would see 2degrees reconcile with creatives who previously worked on the business.

Saatchi's joint-executive creative directors Gus Roberts and Corey Chalmers, previously at Whybin/TBWA (now TBWA), were with the business from the start, helping to launch the company into the market when 2degrees first emerged as a competitor back in 2009. The work the pair did on the campaign is widely credited allowing the company to grow so quickly in its formative years.

Alternatively, if Ong opts for TBWA over Saatchi, it would see him working with a familiar face in chief creative officer Shane Bradnick, who only recently left his role as executive creative director at DDB.

Whichever the pitch goes, 2degrees will be working with some of the most respected creatives in the country.

NZ Post up for grabs

The competitive blood will be boiling in the NZ Post pitch, which has been narrowed down to DDB and FCB.

Neither agency would comment, but this pitch takes on added significance given that DDB only recently nabbed FCB's client Vodafone.

A NZ Post spokesperson confirmed the pitch, saying a broader list of agencies had been narrowed down to these two.

"We are currently working through a deeper evaluation of both agencies," said the spokesperson.

"We are pitching due to a review of our business and marketing strategy and want to ensure we have the right partners to deliver on our strategy."

In addition to changes on the creative side, NZ Post also recently appointed PHD Media as its media partner and Insight Creative as its design partner. The organisation previously worked with OMD on the media side.

NZ Post has shown a willingness to embrace a braver creative approach over the past few years, through its work with Clemenger BBDO.

Some of the more memorable campaigns included dance routines featuring Parris Goebel as well as an ad featuring Game of Thrones actor Charles Dance playing a barber.

It's understood that NZ Post had more recently been working with agencies on a project basis before deciding that it needed to appoint a fulltime agency.

UPDATE:

2degrees has confirmed the appointment of TBWA to the account.
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