Omnicom Group retains Coles business after robust RFT; launches bespoke agency Smith Street
Coles Group will create a specialised marketing agency named “Smith Street”, following a robust four-and-a-half-month RFP process for its marketing services which saw Omnicom Group (+ Deloitte Digital) retain the business in a two-way pitch against Accenture Song.
The new bespoke agency will be made up of experts in customer experience, data analysis, creative services, media management, culture and insight, the structure designed to ensure the Coles marketing team drives transformational growth for Coles Group by combining superior commercial intelligence with unparalleled consumer insight.
The Smith Street team will be handpicked from across Omnicom Group. Omnicom Group, who at a group level were the successful agency in the RFP process, will supercharge the skills around the table at Smith Street with experts across their network and work with existing partners Deloitte Digital to bring data and analytics to the core of Coles Marketing.
With customer obsession at the heart of Coles’ strategy, Smith Street will be created as a Customer Centre of Excellence designed to have a one team approach to creative, media and digital marketing activity for Coles Group. The new structure will also be a cornerstone in supporting Coles Group in providing more meaningful and personalised customer communication, insights and reporting.
Coles chief marketing officer Lisa Ronson thanked all agencies who participated in the RFP process: “Our marketing strategy is to position Coles as the most trusted and sustainable retailer in Australia by demonstrating our purpose through relevant omni channel experiences, focusing on targeted trusted value, sustainability, loyalty and health & happiness.
“This process has ensured going forward we will have one lead, one home and one ambition for the Coles marketing team and will have a structure that moves at the pace of Coles customers.”
General manager of brand, digital and design Samantha McLeod said she looks forward to the newly created agency generating strategic outcomes for marketing across the whole of Coles Group’s business: “Smith Street will operate as a world-class network of creative and media experts with a unified goal and agenda to achieve Coles’ strategic outcomes, rather than a group of different agencies operating independently, which will lead to more impactful and effective communications and interactions with our customers.”
Omnicom Group CEOs Peter Horgan and Andrew Little said the team is excited to help make customer obsession at Coles feel real to every Australian: “Exceptional customer experience will be at the heart of what we are trying to achieve, and our experts will work together with the talented Coles marketing team to ensure shopper trends, behavioural science and data analytics is integrated into every campaign, end-to-end.”
Deloitte Digital partner Katherine Battle-Schulz said the team is excited to help Coles understand the impact of marketing investment and help predict future returns on that investment: “This is a transformational way of approaching marketing and genuinely puts the customer at the heart of all thinking, while helping the Coles marketing team drive growth across the business.”
Smith Street will be a physical space for the agency and Coles team to come together and work in one dynamic space. It will be led by a board made up of a mix of Coles and agency representatives to ensure the best outcome for Coles customers.
It will officially launch in the new year with an implementation team from Omnicom Group to onboard with each Coles Group marketing team over the coming months.
Smith Street board representatives:
Lisa Ronson – Coles Group Chief Marketing Officer
Samantha McLeod – Coles General Manager Brand, Digital and Design
Kate Bailey – Coles General Manager Media and Sponsorships
Peter Horgan – Omnicom Media Group CEO
Andrew Little – DDB CEO
Sian Whitnall – OMD CEO
Kimberlee Wells – CEO, TBWA
Mike Napolitano – DDB Managing Director
Katherine Battle-Schulz – Deloitte Digital Partner
33 Comments
https://www.streetsmith.com.au/
Literally not a client on the planet I’d rather work with less.
‘To help make customer obsession at Coles feel real to every Australian’? We’re forced to scan our own groceries these days.
I boycotted Coles 3 years ago due to their annoying & offensive advertising. Can’t imagine any of this changing that.
Sorry to the every single agency employee that had to work on this pitch, and also sorry in advance to all the Omnicom employees that are handpicked to work on this account. Worst client in Australia by a long stretch.
If the outcome is the removal of that obnoxious, screaming high-pitched female voiceover…..then the whole exercise will be worth it.
down down, cheaper and down,,,,,, to the actual bottom of the exploitative barrel. Im assuming every agency told them to go get f*&^ed.
So what’s changed? It’s the same old cronies. I wonder if we’ll see the same old line of “Value the Australian Way”.
What a joke.
That’s Woolworth’s.
“Our marketing strategy is to position Coles as the most trusted and sustainable retailer in Australia by demonstrating our purpose through relevant omni channel experiences, focusing on targeted trusted value, sustainability, loyalty and health & happiness.
Translated:
“Our ads are dirty-retail, bombarding people with inane jingles. Even though 90% of what we sell is swathed in plastic, we want to show that we’re a cut-throat retailer by spraying our overly laboured messaging on any space we can get near an eyeball. When we do focus, it’s on a variety of cliches. However, even you know what we really want you to think: we’re cheap, so come more often and fill your trolley with as much stuff as possible.
” how did i end up here? what did i do wrong – how is this happening”
It’s such a shame that one of Australia’s biggest marketers is one of the worst. Bad, wallpaper creative. Awful brand positioning.
I rather spend 7 years in Bali’s Kerobokan prison than one week at Smith Street.
A lot of agencies that never won this account chipping in here me thinks
If they have such a relentless focus on maximising their return on marketing investment, you can imagine the squeeze they will put on those poor Smith Street workers.
You are some of the worst. Please know that.
For an agency that will make the most generic work in Australia
Has there ever been consistently good work from a bespoke agency for a sole client?
Literally, how low can you go? In terms of fees. In terms of what you produce. In terms of career. Know this people of Smith street. The people that did this deal wont be working on it. It will be you that has to carry this, and churn it out, whilst they are nowhere near it. Trust me.
I guarantee the advertising will be no different in 18 months. All this talk of innovation. But look at the work.
Exactly, any creative could bash out the rubbish they run in a few hours. It’s just layers upon layers of people justifying their existence.
This is a cluster f*ck of epic proportions. What great client, who produces great work, and quickly, is run by a committee of CEOs? Who’s the leader? To think everyone – who are frenemies, at best – will play nicely in the sandpit together is delusional.
Not only are they the worst marketers they are often mean and nasty to boot.
I’ve known a few people who have landed jobs at the coles head office and walked out after only a few months due to the toxic workplace culture. My advice to the peeps being tapped on the shoulder to work at Smith Street would be to start looking for a new gig now while there’s a few jobs floating around. Forget what your boss is telling you, there will not be a plan to make things better and your mental health will not be a priority.
Methinks, the ‘losers’ are the long term winners, and the winner is……the ultimate loser!
Don’t suppose any of you stopped to think all this has very little to do with creative output and is more about business structure and delivery of comms at scale from holding company down
So comms at scale is the only defining metric of the relationship?
Not quality?
Staff wellbeing?
Not being responsive?
Is that not at odds with the above of delivering ‘more meaningful and personalised communications?’
Not at odds with ‘health and happiness’?
Maybe a lot of people on here did stop and think and read the article. Did you?
Literally the lowest point of my working life was the Coles account. Let’s hope Omnicom are funding psychology support to all employees touching that toxic waste ground.
Gets smoked by Woolworths and Aldi for decades. Seeks to find competitive edge. Stays with agencies who’ve failed to move the dial. Crazy stuff.
What are peoples issues with working for Coles?
People that have actually worked for them, not just people that dont like the brand/their ads etc
And isn’t an attempt to do something new indication that its to move away from whatever it was that was the problem?
Smith St. directions: Just down the ‘My-way’ – turn left at Ego junction, then take a right down Followme Road. You’ll find it just before you hit Deadend Lane.
What a load of banal twaddle.
It’s a factory.
It will make content and stuff.
This is the end game.
Advertising is over.
Cannes is dead.
When Coles was the ‘premium’ supermarket. Circa Campaign Palace, 20 years ago.