Sydney, Australia – Full-service independent agency Apparent has been appointed by Active Super, a local-based profit-to-member superannuation fund, to lead and handle its media business.

The agency has secured the Active Super business following a three-way pitch and will manage media strategy, planning, and buying, including performance, media and SEO.

Chantal Walker, chief digital and marketing officer at Active Super, said, “As we continue to tell our new Active Super story, Apparent impressed us with their expertise in driving awareness and building the brand through our responsible investing policies and highlighting our fund performance to drive acquisition.”

Walker also added that Apparent’s team showed clear strategic thinking on how to grab the attention of their target audience across media touchpoints and their ability to work collaboratively with their other agency partners.

Active Super, formerly Local Government Super, rebranded in May this year and has AU$14b of funds under management. It is one of only four Australian super funds with all its products certified responsible by the Responsible Investment Association Australasia and is also certified carbon neutral by Climate Active.

Meanwhile, John Halpin, head of strategy and media at Apparent, added, “It’s always great to work with an organization launching a new brand into the market and all the exciting opportunities [that present] from a media strategy perspective.”

He added, “It’s also satisfying to be doing it for a partner which demonstrates their values in the responsible investment of its members’ funds. We’re delighted to have been appointed and will work closely with Chantal, her team, and the other agencies to make Active Super a household name.”

Active Super is the latest win for Apparent’s media division and follows the decision by Sydney Symphony Orchestra to appoint it to manage strategy, planning, and media buying.

Australia – The global skincare brand based in France, L’Occitane, has appointed media strategy consultancy and technology business Audience Precision to handle its Australian media strategy and offline media buying.

L’Occitane is known for delivering beauty products and cosmetics in marketing that utilize natural and traceable ingredients. Its products are revered for their luxurious scents and textures, and through their environmental and social commitments.

As part of the mandate, Audience Precision will be providing insights, media strategy, and offline media buying to L’Occitane Australia, which has 56 retail boutiques nationwide.

Haydon Bray, the global CEO of Audience Precision, said that the L’Occitane team is well-known for their commitment to sharing their product and brand ethos globally, and their role will be able to help the brand connect with their Australian audiences. 

“Our ability to align insights to actionable media strategies and activate offline media buying for the Australian marketing team were key drawcards for the brand and we’re really looking forward to activating this next phase in the company’s growth here,” said Bray.

Meanwhile, Pam Wilson, L’Occitane’s marketing director, commented, “We’ve been looking for a partner to help us take our media strategy to the next level. We were very excited with Audience Precision’s insights and ideas and we can’t wait to start our collaboration,” said Wilson.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Pizza Hut in Malaysia has awarded its overall media buying and planning services to Dentsu Malaysia. The remit will see the agency assisting the pizza brand’s transformational e-commerce journey towards in-home dining, driving sustainable business growth in a digital world. 

As part of the mandate, dentsu will also be responsible for creating meaningful end-to-end media experiences through data-driven marketing and in future-proofing Pizza Hut for a cookie-less ecosystem. In addition, dentsu will be putting together team Red Roof, a unit that will bring resources to implement a seamless agency model.

Dentsu’s CEO of Media Dheeraj Raina commented that they are excited about the opportunity to work with a brand that is loved by millions and this gives them the opportunity to push their innovation further.

Meanwhile, Emily Chong, the CMO of Pizza Hut Malaysia, said, “Sharing the same vision and commitment in making transformative step-change is key to win fast in this new frontier, and Team Dentsu has clearly demonstrated these through the acceleration and scaling of data-driven tech-enabled media capabilities for Pizza Hut.”

Kien Eng Tan, the CEO of Dentsu Malaysia, noted, “We will be completely focused on Pizza Hut to further strengthen its leadership. This win is a result of radical collaboration and the speed at which we have built a technological and data-driven spine to cater to clients’ flexible needs.”

In the latest MARKETECH APAC’s Top 5 Stories, Dentsu entered the list for the announcement of its three new key appointments

Inviting Raina in an exclusive interview, he said, “The new lineup that you’re seeing of the leaders [is] primarily [for] creating capability centers of excellence within the organization so that as the agency partners with our clients, we are in the best position of solving their marketing challenges.”

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Malaysia’s integrated resort Resorts World Genting has awarded its media services to Dentsu Malaysia, effective April 2021. The win came after a competitive pitch where Dentsu participated as an integrated service solutions team, having recently completed a restructure that brings all of the former Dentsu Aegis Network brands under one umbrella.

The appointment aims to strengthen Resorts World Genting’s entire media portfolio to reposition itself to capture growth in the travel sector. Dentsu Malaysia will be responsible for leading the resort’s media strategy, planning and buying, and customer experience management, as well as performance marketing, and e-commerce.

In addition, the partnership will see the agency developing and driving the marketing strategy for the resort, and also the launch of Genting SkyWorlds, the most anticipated theme park in the Southeast Asia region.

“We are excited about launching Genting SkyWorlds to our customers and also enhance the overall experience of visiting Resorts World Genting. In times as unpredictable as these, we wanted an agency partner that would be strategic, consultative, data-driven, and as passionate as us to deliver the customer delight,” said Dr. Nicco Tan, the vice president of marketing at Resorts World Genting.

Meanwhile, Dheeraj Raina, the CEO of Dentsu Media Malaysia, commented, “We are deeply honored to win this business. The brief was to go beyond media agency services and create an agile but compelling marketing strategy. The travel and tourism industry needs a rapid recovery, and we are committed through this partnership to enhance the consumer experience with the use of data, technology, and human storytelling.”