IAG parts ways with M&C Saatchi Sydney after three years, appoints The Monkeys to its stable of brands including NRMA and CGU Insurance
IAG has appointed The Monkeys as the lead creative agency for IAG and its stable of brands, including NRMA Insurance and CGU Insurance.
The move follows the appointment of IAG’s new Chief Marketing Officer, Brent Smart, who joined in February this year. With a career spanning over two decades in adland, including CEO stints at Saatchi & Saatchi New York and Colenso BBDO Auckand, Smart has a strong creative vision for IAG and its brands.
Smart’s experience agency side, coupled with The Monkeys’ reputation and track record, means there has not been a competitive pitch process for this work.
Says Smart (left): “We strongly believe The Monkeys have the right creative pedigree, strategic vision and cultural fit. This appointment means we have made the decision not to renew our contract with our incumbent partner M&C Saatchi. We have valued the work we achieved together during our three year partnership, but feel now is the time to move on.”
“We have huge creative aspirations for our brands and The Monkeys are the right partner to help us realise those aspirations. We just love their obsession with the work, believe in their team’s strategic vision and feel there is a real cultural fit with our new marketing team. I would also like to recognise the contribution M&C Saatchi has made to our business over the past 3 years and thank their team for their hard work and dedication, we wish them nothing but success.”
Says Mark Green, Group CEO The Monkeys: “We love working with ambitious clients and Brent and the team at IAG will be great partners. The team at The Monkeys cannot wait to get started.”
IAG’s relationship with media partner Mindshare remains unchanged.
42 Comments
This is great news for creativity.
It shows you can’t completely rip off an idea (confidence man) and be rewarded.
The creatives who “came up” with confidence should also depart M&C.
Blatant plagiarism.
What’s the plagersim from the confidence ads? Saying you can’t have a guy in a suit?
Surely Tricky Jigsaw’s Fire Blanket detected the smoke before the fire?
Smart is smart and knows creative. Here’s hoping for something great and more than a smarmy insurance salesman in a cheap suit.
Does that mean CGU parts ways with cummins?
The end.
What’s the plagersim from the confidence ads? Saying you can’t have a guy in a suit?
Sound the siren. Game over.
The fat lady has well and truly sung.
The Monkeys are head and shoulders above all other agencies.
Another week, another major client or campaign.
The Golden Monkey era is upon us. Baton down the hatches all other agencies, the ride is only going to get bumpier.
Plagiarism or crappy cliche creative just wont keep pace.
Monkey see, Monkey get!
And that last lamb ad is just a speed bump?
They’ll have CBA by early next year.
That’s probably one of the easiest decisions you’ve made.
A suit on CBA has been interviewing all over town so maybe he knows what @insider knows too
Kicking an agency while is down is what makes the Australian industry so difficult to like. People’s careers and families will be affected.
Client’s move around. That’s business.
Being an asshole about it is just not human.
Fourth agency move in under 10 years.Maybe NRMA should take a long hard look at their product and prices.For years I had 3 cars in my family insured by NRMA.Finally on the advice of my accountant I did a check quote.Itcbecame quickly apparent that I was being ripped off to the tune of many hundreds of dollars.Anyway best of luck Mr New Guy.Like all the other new age CMO’s you’ll probably be KPI’d on brand tracking scores rather than sales.Selling stuff-what a quaint old fashioned notion.
I suppose the next step was to move client side and get revenge. Good luck mate. All I’ll say is deliver real soon or someone will deliver your career eulogy.
Wow… Assuming most people who comment here work in the advertising industry, it is very sad that everyone just loves the chance to kick an agency down, when it is down. Especially behind an anonymous keyboard.
It’s the nature of our industry. We all win clients and we lose them – to each other. Why can’t we congratulate each other on the wins and commiserate on the losses. We have all worked in each others agencies FFS. As @+ said – people’s careers and families will be affected – and one day yours might be too.
Be kind. It makes you feel good. Try it.
Ripped out his entire marketing department, fired all his agencies (without giving them a chance) and thinks he knows the market. I’m getting me some popcorn. Shareholders should too.
So the guy arrives back in Sydney after years away and fires all his staff and agencies. Smart move in a small town.
Please tell me what was plagiarised. Was it using a man? Or a man in a suit? Or music? What ad/film/porn movie can you not link to another now???
I’m guessing it’s how the NRMA ad is a poor rip off the Allstate Mayhem campaign.
It’s even for the same product.
How can you be creatively proud of a total rip-off?
Guessing the client discovered the Mayhem campaign and pulled the plug.
You know exactly what the nrma ad ripped off:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayhem_(advertising_character)
Just look at the original post for Confidence on Campaign Brief.
http://www.campaignbrief.com/2016/08/nrma-insurance-gives-customers.html
Most comments say your ad is a poor version of Mayhem. You had to know about this, so don’t act so surprised that people are pointing it out again.
Quite probably this temporarily powerful boy will move on, or be moved on, within 12 months leaving his fired staff and the agencies fired staff still suffering. You would expect more wisdom from NRMA wouldn’t you?
My summation
1] M&C management need to get a grown-up ECD and spend more time working on clients business instead of their own profile.
2] Brent Smart might’ve made the right decision but grandiose statements and mass sackings says overnight sensation more than long term star
3] Monkeys [a business I greatly admire] are stretching themselves and need to ensure they don’t create another Sydney D5 with their Melbourne office.
4] CHE is the unsung winner. Their data offering is quietly but quickly turning them into a major force.
Are you going to defend that your ad wasn’t a rip-off of Mayhem?
Get ready for a song and dance campaign. It’s the dancing monkey show.
Because the current agency didn’t he’s just looking for a new agency to say “dance monkey dance”.
Confidence campaign used a guy in a suit, completely different idea. Unless your saying man in a suit is not original?
Clients are getting smarter.
They don’t want to pay for creatives to put a new coat of paint on someone else’s ad.
They want something NEW.
I can imagine how pissed the client was when they watched the Mayhem ads and saw what their agency ripped off.
F*** off as if you guys above haven’t ripped off overseas work!
Brent Smart the new Andy Lark?
They both personify a behaviour.
They are both for insurance.
Yet, only one is good. (And it’s not yours.)
“completely different idea”
It’s completely the same idea. You’re making the agency look even worse by defending it.
I guess some people can afford to fire all their staff, cancel work and write off millions.
http://www.smh.com.au/business/banking-and-finance/iag-profits-rise-486-per-cent-to-929-million-20170822-gy20e8.html
If you’d like to know more about Brent Smart’s career and departure from Saatchi New York check out the American version of CB.It’s called Agency Spy and it makes for interesting reading.
http://www.adweek.com/agencyspy/saatchi-saatchi-new-york-has-its-own-in-house-troll/84242
But are you fucking serious… Mayhem vs confidence. This is a rip off?? I’ve seen 40 characters personified in the last 10 years. Similarities yes. Copies no. I also saw two beer ads with blokes drinking beer. Massive rip off. And two paint ads with paint brushes. Such hack creatives. Even a few supermarket ads with people at the check out. How dare they.
Hate the work, sure – I don’t like it much myself to be honest. But fuck me, appreciate that there will be similarities in our industry. Just like movies will reference other movies.
I’m so bored of people calling out work that’s similar. The Monkeys just did an ad with people at a table. I’ve seen so many ads with people having lunch at a table. Such plagiarism.
Instead of being salty, don’t rip off work.
Confidence = poor man’s version of Mayhem. Everyone can see that.
@ I’m sorry
You’re either a troll or drunk. Confidence is a very, very bad rip off of Mayhem. The end.
Confidence campaign used a guy in a suit, completely different idea. Unless your saying man in a suit is not original?
EXACTLY. Our idea is completely original as he is wearing a suit. Thank goodness someone gets it.