Exclusive: ANZ pitches creative, searches for 'alliance' of agencies

ANZ is pitching its creative account after three years with Special Group, Mediaweek can reveal.

The Big 4 bank's general manager, marketing Sian Chadwick said the bank will hunt for an "alliance" of agencies.

"We’re constantly reviewing the ways in which we work with our Australian agency partners. As part of this, we are building an alliance of trusted agency partners which will allow us to achieve the best creative outcome for each campaign," Chadwick told Mediaweek.

ANZ called the pitch on Thursday 16 May, beginning a tender process that will consider existing, previous, and new agencies. The RFP will focus on creative strategy and development - ANZ's media contract with PHD Melbourne, worth a reported $50+ million, was extended in February.

The banking group appointed a new CMO, Astrud Burgess, last July. Mediaweek understands the search for a differently-shaped model is designed to meet the bank's "evolving and complex" needs.

Special won the account in 2021, emerging victorious in a four way shoot-out against CHEP, Hero, and incumbent TBWA\Melbourne. TBWA had held the ANZ account for 10 years - creating work like the Cannes-winning GAYTMs - but went on to fill the gap with fellow Big 4 bank, NAB.

Westpac works with DDB Sydney. Commonwealth Bank sits with M&C Saatchi, but has recently engaged indie shop Supermassive to create the Truyu brand and launch the digital protection tool, as Mediaweek exclusively reported this month.

ANZ's search for an updated model comes as Honda creates an in-house agency to work hand-in-hand with a sole agency partner, Howatson+Co, Tourism Australia looks to appoint a panel of agencies in its ongoing pitch, and clients experiment with bespoke agencies like +61 for Telstra and Smith St for Coles.

Special Group declined to comment. Last month, the agency launched DoppelFalcons for ANZ, featuring the return of the ANZ falcon, first launched locally in 2006. The campaign, designed to spotlight the bank's upgraded fraud protection technology, features customers and their falcon lookalikes to show how ANZ's tech can distinguish between legitimate customer activity and fraud.

Recently, Special has also won Cricket Australia and Employment Hero, and launched work for BONDS, Pepsi, Gippsland Dairy, plus the next iteration of Virgin's Bring on Wonderful brand platform.