Tag: Bastion Experience

Queensland, Australia – Strategic brand and commercial agency Bastion Experience has announced its entrance into the Queensland market. The expansion comes with the appointment of Rohan Sawyer, who will be leading the new team as managing director for Queensland. 

In the new role, Sawyer will lead the Bastion Experience team in Queensland while providing clients with access to the full suite of integrated communications services under Bastion’s ‘Think Wide’ model. This will bring together ‘best-in-class’ offerings and experts across research and insights through brand and creative, and advertising, amongst others.

Prior to joining Bastion, Sawyer was Queensland Rugby League’s CEO and chief operating officer for five years. He is also an experienced sports, entertainment, and finance industry executive.

On his appointment, Sawyer said, “I am thrilled to join a market leader and innovator in the industry, with a proven track record of delivering on brands and rights holders’ needs to drive commercial growth. I look forward to contributing my expertise and working with the talented team to deliver significant benefits to brands and their customers.”

Jack Watts, Bastion’s CEO, also expressed his excitement towards the new initiatives.

“Firstly, we love Queensland. It has been a long held ambition to build our fully integrated, independent agency model in Queensland. We started last year with the acquisition of Queensland PR and Social Agency Promedia, now Bastion Amplify, and continue our investment in the state with Rohan and the launch of Bastion Experience,” he said.

He also said that Sawyer is an ‘ideal candidate’ to lead Bastion Experience’s drive into a market set for significant long-term growth.

“We believe our long held reputation and work in Sport and Lifestyle will be critical to our growth in the State, and I don’t believe there is any better executive in Sport than Rohan Sawyer. We’re thrilled to have him on board to lead our commercial, sponsorship and experiential services in Queensland,” Watts added. 

The expansion follows the launch of Bastion Amplify’s entrance into the Queensland market with the acquisition of Gold Coast-based, full-service PR firm Promedia in November 2022.

Australia – SIXT, the newest player in the vehicle rental and mobility space, has launched in the Australian market this December, and for its official entry, it rolls out an integrated campaign aimed at leveraging its brand positioning – ‘Above and Beyonding’.

SIXT is a global vehicle rental and mobility provider spanning over 100 countries. SIXT enters the market with over 163 locations in Australia, and an expansive fleet of over 16,000 vehicles including cars, trucks, vans, utes, SUVs, and also premium and electric vehicles.

The campaign, which was created in collaboration with communications agency Bastion Creative and its experiential firm Bastion Experience, includes eight separate film executions, a suite of digital, and extensive print and outdoor components, with specific creative to support the 163 retail locations.

The TVC, directed by Jesse James McElroy, features Australian actress Helen Dallimore.

Kristy Thomas, SIXT’s general manager of marketing for Australia, said that the campaign reflects their focus on raising the bar across the board. 

“The Bastion team, across creative and experience, have been instrumental in crafting our local positioning, showcasing great aptitude in balancing global localization and applying creative flair for our launch as SIXT in Australia,” said Thomas. 

Meanwhile, Georgia Arnott, Bastion’s executive creative director, said, “Vehicle rental is a category that has taken itself too seriously for a while now, and we were delighted with the vision of the SIXT team to deliver a bold message but also one that is refreshingly fun.”

Jack Watts, Bastion’s global CEO, commented, “It’s a rare and exciting opportunity to take a dynamic global brand, localize it in partnership with NRMA and SIXT head office in Germany and launch it with a wide integrated campaign across so many touchpoints.” 

The campaign is now available across TV, digital, print, and OOH.

Australia – The strategic partnership, brand, and experiential agency, Bastion Experience, has appointed James Bartold, former head of sponsorship, events, and commercial strategy at North Melbourne Football Club, to assume the newly created role of group director for brand partnerships.

Prior to his previous role at North Melbourne Football Club, Bartold has also worked as a management consultant across private and public sector clients and has held roles as a journalist at the ABC and AFL. He has been crucial in developing leading sponsorships across AFL and AFLW from ideation, leveraging strategy and execution, and leading a diverse team across sponsorship and experiential. Bartold has worked with clients including Mazda, Spirit of Tasmania, Hello Solar, and Ego Pharmaceuticals, as well as Chemist Warehouse and McDonald’s.

The appointment comes as a result of a renewed focus from Bastion’s clients on brand partnerships as part of their marketing strategy. The agency believes Bartold’s depth of experience, together with Bastion Experience’s decade-long ability to tap into real-world cultural, audience, competitor, and contextual insights will ensure that the business continually delivers best-in-class expertise to clients.

Commenting on his new role, Bartold said, “I am excited to be a part of a leader in the space that can help brands navigate the breadth of opportunities and provide solutions that build genuine partnerships that deliver for both parties.”

Meanwhile, Matt McCann, Bastion Experience’s CEO, commented that they have been heavily involved in the sponsorship industry for over 10 years and that they are encouraged by the current live conversations happening as brands look to further tap into the deep emotional connection between live events and partnerships. 

“After an in-depth search to find the right individual, we’re extremely excited about James joining the team. Five seasons leading the North Melbourne Club’s partnerships and commercial brand strategy brings a deep understanding of how to build, negotiate, deliver and measure effective sponsorship relationships. We are already seeing James’ impact on our team and our clients, which is brilliant,” said McCann.