Shock for Droga5 in NZ as founding client ASB makes switch to Saatchi & Saatchi New Zealand
ASB has dropped Droga5 and appointed Saatchi & Saatchi as its advertising agency, effective 1 July 2012.
Roger Beaumont, ASB’s Executive General Manager, Marketing & Online confirmed that the Bank had opted for a change of direction with a new agency after two years with incumbent Droga5.
“ASB has grown significantly in terms of market share and size and we are very excited to be entering a new direction in the evolution of our brand. We feel that Saatchi & Saatchi strongly delivers the right mix of scale, creativity, strategic insights and leadership that will help us achieve our ambitious goals.”
Says Nicky Bell (left), CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi New Zealand: “Naturally we are thrilled with the news. ASB is an incredibly strong and innovative brand. We can’t wait to get started with their team. And this is a tremendous validation for the whole team who have worked hard over the last couple of years to get us back to the true spirit of the Saatchi & Saatchi brand.”
Beaumont acknowledged the hard work, commitment and dedication of Droga5: “Our current campaign ‘Experience ASB’ has been a particular highlight of the positive relationship we’ve enjoyed and the team at Droga5 have been very effective in delivering this to market.”
Says Andrew Stone, Droga5’s Business Director: “We have loved our relationship with ASB. We’re proud of what we have done together and they’ve given us a great start in this market. We recognise the changes at ASB and wish them well.”
6 Comments
Do Droga have another client? This will decimate them.
To decimate you technically need more than ten people.
No, technically you need at least 10 people, not more than 10. And that is for the old-fashioned sense of the word.
ASB like to stick to their agencies for a decade or more. They must have really screwed the pooch on this one.
I know absolutely nothing of D5 New Zealand and very little of the Australian operation save for Nobby. But for all the fanfare and expectation that accompanied their entry into the Antipodean market, and looking at the work they’ve produced, they’d have to be the most over-rated agency in Australasia.
A bank, worst kind of account for a start up surely,,
1. The original meaning of decimate was to reduce by one tenth. It was a military punishment. These days it means to damage substantially, but never to destroy completely, which means:
2. They’ll bounce back. The Droga brand is bigger than one client loss, albeit major in this case.
3. I agree with Hi. Tough to open with. But if your choice is only that, or not open at all, I’m guessing you’d take your chances. They did. I would have as I guess you would have too.