Tag: Orchard

Australia – Australian customer-owned mutual bank Beyond Bank has announced the appointment of digital agency Orchard to support its digital transformation journey.

In this appointment, Orchard’s remit will cover the redevelopment and redesign of Beyond Bank’s website. The full digital transformation is expected to make banking even more seamless and integrated for the bank’s 300,000 customers.

Beyond Bank aims to enhance its customers’ banking experiences across its range of digital platforms, creating a state-of-the-art digital environment.

The Orchard agency’s appointment comes after a competitive bid process. The bank disclosed that alignment of values played a key role in their decision to hand the mandate to the agency.

Wai Kwok, CEO at Orchard, said, “Beyond Bank is driven by a mission to create a banking environment like no other, placing paramount importance on delivering personalised, community-focused experiences.”

“This mission is incredibly aligned to our belief in connected experiences, and to be able to partner with individuals who not only aspire to elevate the banking experience but also share our commitment to values in every aspect of their work is incredibly exciting for us. This partnership reflects Orchard’s ongoing commitment to enhancing the digital landscapes of organisations, ensuring their values align with the communities they serve,” he added.

Speaking on the appointment, Tonina Iannicelli, senior manager digital at Beyond Bank, also shared, “We deeply appreciate Orchard’s dedication to understanding not only our customers but also the essence of Beyond Bank itself. Their commitment to our community-focused banking approach resonated with us, making them the perfect choice for this transformative journey.”

Australia – Digital creative agency Orchard has announced the appointment of Bridget Ash to the newly created role of content and activations director to bolster the agency’s content creation and engagement capabilities and end-to-end customer experience offering.  

Ash brings with her extensive experience and visionary leadership in content development and activations needed to spearhead Orchard’s next phase of growth.

After her departure from Orchard in 2014, Ash went on to hold positions in social and content in the UK at Digitas Health LifeBrands, OLIVER, Real Chemistry, and more. 

And now, she returns to Orchard after a six-year stint working with global consumer and healthcare brands across the UK, including AstraZeneca, Sanofi, Unilever, Novartis, and Janseen to name a few. 

Throughout her established career, Ash has worked with brands to deliver strategies that resonate with audiences from a diverse range of backgrounds, geographical locations, and interests. 

One notable part of Ash’s career is when she played a pivotal role as the activation lead on a global patient initiative for AstraZeneca aimed at revolutionising asthma care. This initiative, launched in over 18 countries, received numerous industry accolades and helped reach patients with an important message.

Speaking on her appointment, Ash said, “I am delighted to be returning to the Orchard team. It’s an agency with a fantastic culture, who is creating some exciting and innovative work for their clients. The team has great momentum behind them, and I’m thrilled to be part of their ongoing growth trajectory.” 

Meanwhile, Mikaela Crimmins, chief strategy officer at Orchard, shared, “We are thrilled to welcome Bridget back to Orchard. Our clients are increasingly looking for ways to connect with their customers and patients with content at scale – and Bridget has the knack for knowing exactly what will positively persuade an audience in channels or formats that provide value to an audience, it doesn’t hurt either that she makes everything seem super simple. That gets a chef’s kiss from me!’

Mikaela Crimmins, the head of strategy and experience at Orchard, has been named as one of the winners of the ‘Empowered Women in Agency’ category at MARKETECH APAC’s inaugural recognition initiative for women leaders in the industry, Empowered Women Awards 2023.

Crimmins has been with Orchard for over four years, starting off as a digital strategist in 2013 before leaving the agency for a stint at Ogilvy from 2016 to 2019. She then returned to Orchard as planning director and was elevated to her current role on February 2021.

Propelling agency growth through forward-thinking leadership

For Crimmins, as a strategic leader, she is responsible to push the agency to meet greater success and achieve greater results. This was first put into action when she developed a new proposition called ‘the home of connected experiences’. The new proposition, made alongside Orchard’s senior leadership team, highlights the agency’s capability to connect customers with a full range of experiences and passions, positioning the agency for success in the future.

With the proposition being the driving force for the agency, she doubled down on the agency’s need for data and experience design through new hires and products to achieve this.

This resulted in new business growth through winning new clients such as Epson, Johnson & Johnson Eyecare, Clear Skincare, Beyond Bank, amongst others. Moreover, she was also vital in leading some of the agency’s transformational projects, which included launching Hyundai Worldwide’s first e-commerce direct-to-consumer service and launching an app for Tourism Tasmania.

In addition, Crimmins is a strong advocate for courageous thinking and values individuals who bring unique perspectives to the table. She is also committed to fostering a culture of inclusivity and creativity, empowering her team to succeed by giving them a platform to showcase their talents.

She also co-created the agency initiative ‘No Guts, No Glory’, which blends passion with purpose –designed to leverage creative thinking to solve real-world health problems.

How a dynamic leader leads through fearlessness and tenacity

When asked about what makes her strategic leadership work, Crimmins notes that she adheres to four key qualities: bravery, grit, inclusivity, and realism. For her, bravery and grit help inspire her team to keep moving forward, while inclusive and realistic attitudes help create a work environment where everyone is valued and encouraged to contribute.

In her current role at Orchard, she has developed an experience-led proposition, built the strategy and experience team from 5-15 people within 3 years, and transformed the agency into a digital powerhouse.

Her various experiences at past agencies had also helped her to strategise and communicate with teams in a compelling way and then ensure that it can be practically implemented.

Developing the rise of female talent and leaders through advocacy

For Crimmins, she has always believed that sharing knowledge is an essential skill of a team leader, particularly in an industry where there aren’t many opportunities for professional development. For her, sharing knowledge is a way for people to gain new insights, learn from experience and develop new skills.

She also stressed that the industry has an absence of female voices in the strategy area of the industry. As such, this has been an area that Mikaela has actively sought to address through industry (external) and agency (internal) initiatives.

“We (women) are a fearless bunch who not only blaze trails, but also support each other. Imagine the impact we could have at the executive level with that kind of spirit,” she said.

Crimmins also added that for too long, women who have caregiving responsibilities have found it difficult to progress into senior roles in our industry, finding it difficult to work traditional hours, making the industry‘s proposition unattractive to working mothers. And so, she wants to keep this incredible talent in the industry through creating flexible working conditions so that these women can continue with their careers while meeting their family obligations.

Check out who else made it to Empowered Women Awards 2023 Winners’ list.

Australia – Tourism Tasmania, the tourism marketing firm of the Tasmanian Government in Australia, has unveiled ‘Discover Tasmania’ mobile application to let tourists customise and make their own travel experience unique when visiting Tasmania.

In collaboration with creative agencies Clemenger BBDO and Orchard, the application was made with features including real-time, location-specific notifications on insider tips and recommendations, itinerary builder, interactive maps, and other offline features which make it more convenient to use.

Clemenger BBDO led the app’s experience design, whilst Orchard helped in delivering a more connected and efficient digital experience for visitors.

Sarah Clark, CEO at Tourism Tasmania, said that they want the application to become the ultimate travel companion to help visitors explore the tourism offerings available throughout Tasmania.

Dani Bassil, CEO at Clemenger BBDO, added that this has been a truly collaborative project with the tourism marketing firm, and it’s rewarding to see that they made Discover Tasmania app possible.

Moreover, Wai Kwok, CEO at Orchard, added, “The Discover Tasmania App will help bridge the gap between digital connection and Tasmania’s products and experiences, delivering a seamless connected experience that Tasmanian travellers will remember.” 

Discover Tasmania mobile application is now available to download on the App Store.

Sydney, Australia – Electronics company Epson has launched a B2B campaign in Australia called ‘Taking Sustainability Seriously’, following the appointment of digital creative agency Orchard to its creative account and media agency Kaimera to its media strategy account.

The ‘Taking Sustainability Seriously’ campaign positions Epson inkjet solutions as the leading B2B printer choice for organisations across corporate Australia who want to reduce their energy consumption by choosing inkjet over laser, without sacrificing on efficiency or cost. 

Created and developed by digital creative agency Orchard, the campaign uses a playful, quirky approach to deliver serious messages around sustainability and the environment with credibility.

The campaign’s ads and messages are airing on the Sky News network and also feature on the 7Plus, 9Now, 10play and SBS On Demand BVOD channels, online and across LinkedIn. 

Epson also partnered with well-known tech commentator Trevor Long to produce short-form tech review content for broadcast on Sky News’ Business Weekend programme.

Priscilla Dickason, senior marketing communications manager at Epson Australia, said, “‘Taking Sustainability Seriously is one of the most significant B2B campaigns we have ever undertaken in Australia. Whether it’s government, consumers or big business sustainability is no longer a nice-to-have, it’s a must do.” 

She added, “We are very happy to be working with Orchard and Kaimera as they both bring clever creative and strategic expertise to the table. We are also very much looking forward to the campaign’s success and to be working in partnership with both agencies for the long term.”

Meanwhile, Michael Di Natale, managing partner at Orchard, commented, “We are extremely excited to partner with Epson, to further demonstrate our credentials in the B2B space and accelerate Epson as a market-leading business. Seeing the team come together to showcase our ability to deliver market-leading strategy and creative for clients, fills me with great pride and confidence for the road ahead.”

Lastly, Anna Magliano, head of client services at Kaimera, said, “It’s not every day you get to be involved with such a well know brand at such a crucial point in their growth. We believe that the Taking Sustainability Seriously creative platform supported by a credible media strategy can create another defining moment in the Epson brand story and we are excited to see the impact of the campaign in market.”

Orchard has been appointed previously by telco amaysim as its digital creative agency, and by Hyundai to improve the customer experience of the company on Facebook.

Australia – Optus owned-telecommunications provider, and one of Australia’s providers of SIM-only mobile phone plans, amaysim, has appointed digital creative agency Orchard to shape its digital communications and connected experiences moving forward. 

Through the partnership, Orchard will deliver more personalised and connected web experiences to amaysim’s customers across various digital channels, by initially re-platforming onto Adobe AEM and extending into Salesforce and martech integration as part of the broader ecosystem.

Orchard’s partnership with amaysim follows a series of business growth for the digital creative agency, having won Tourism Tasmania’s digital transformation account in February, hiring Michael Di Natale as its first Managing Partner in March, and welcoming Daniel Taylor as its inaugural Director of Data in April.

Eric Alkema, associate marketing director of amaysim, shared, “We are very excited to be working with such an experienced team at Orchard to enhance our digital capabilities and deliver more tailored digital experiences to our customers. We can’t wait to get started.”

Michael Di Natale, managing partner of Orchard, commented, “After only recently joining Orchard, I’m so impressed with the incredible work we’ve done, and continue to do, across the Adobe stack. It’s great to see the word now spreading across the market, to now have the opportunity to help amaysim create genuine connected experiences.”

Australia – Creative technology and digital agency Orchard has appointed Daniel Taylor, former head of data, analytics and strategy at digital and conversational agency VERSA Agency, to step into the newly created position of director of data and insights. 

Throughout his career, Taylor has worked with clients including British Airways, Ikea, Toyota, and Coca-Cola, amongst others. He has also held positions at government executive agency Service NSW, as well as an eight-year stint at digital agency Deepend, where he was the senior analytics and data planner before being promoted to director of analytics and insights.

In his new role at Orchard, Taylor will be expanding the agency’s data-led service offerings and working with strategic partners to drive more connected experiences for Orchard’s clients.

Taylor commented that the team at Orchard are hugely talented and has delivered some amazing work in the data and CRO space, and with huge momentum and some great new client wins, it is an exciting time to get onboard.

“Very early on in discussions with Orchard, we spoke about the need to ensure data is an ever-evolving resource that works across multiple platforms, teams, and use-cases. This will be a key focus for us to ensure our clients’ data tech-stack is future-proofed, less fragmented and set up for success,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mikaela Crimmins, Orchard’s head of experience, shared that Taylor is a leader who is equally as comfortable mining data to identify trends and narratives that drive change, as he is leading teams that connect brand promise to brand experience. 

“We are truly thrilled to welcome him to the team at Orchard and overly excited to watch our data capabilities expand with his rich experience,” Crimmins added.

Just recently, Orchard has also appointed Michael Di Natale, former managing director at digital and conversational agency VERSA Agency, to step into its newly created role of managing partner, in which he was tasked to bolster the agency’s growth and create connected experiences.

Australia – Digital creative agency Orchard has appointed Michael Di Natale, former managing director at conversational AI agency VERSA, to step into its newly created role of managing partner.

Di Natale brings with him 15 years of experience in the industry. Aside from his recent role at VERSA, Di Natale has held positions at the likes of Accenture and Isobar, before moving up the ranks to become dentsu’s executive director of experience, strategy, and consulting.

Moreover, Di Natale has worked across sectors spanning travel, finance, government, education, professional services, and utilities, as well as sport, and entertainment with clients including ANZ Bank, Australia Post, JB HI-FI, MCC/MCG, and NSW Government, as well as Qantas, amongst others.

In his new role, Di Natale will continue to build Orchard’s customer service offering and consumer division, leveraging the great momentum the agency has with existing clients Hyundai, Tourism Tasmania, and Westpac. He will be driving agency growth and creating connected experiences.

Commenting on his appointment, Di Natale said that the mix of talented individuals, excellent culture, and clear strategy and direction, has him very excited about what the future has in store. 

“Building meaningful, connected experiences is my passion and something that many talk about, but it’s rare you come across the team, capabilities, structure, and strategies in place to actually ‘walk the walk’ and bring it to life,” added Di Natale.

Meanwhile, Wai Kwok, Orchard’s CEO, shared that building connected experiences is at the core of their work and Di Natale has a proven track record in delivering digital experiences to a plethora of clients. 

“He has a passion for solving new challenges and building high-performing teams. With a diverse skill set, we are enthusiastic to see what he will bring to the table for Orchard in 2022. We know he will add not only great value to our business and our clients but to our people as well,” said Kwok.

Australia – Hyundai in Australia has partnered with creative agency Orchard to enhance its customer engagement on Facebook. The new tech developed by the agency is an AI smart assistant keyword recognition on the brand’s posts on Facebook.

The new Facebook chatbot is customer experience and smart execution rolled into two key user journeys. Its direct to Messenger feature focuses on helping users discover the Hyundai vehicle they may be interested in and providing a direct line of contact with customer care through phone support or via the enquiry process.

In addition to this, when users comment on a Facebook post with specific questions, the AI capabilities of the chatbot are able to harness the power of keywords and respond in real-time. The keywords trigger the Hyundai Smart Assistant, inviting customers to discover valuable information about the model or post.

Furthermore, Orchard has implemented an auto-comment response on Facebook posts, which allows the public to see when other users’ comments have been acknowledged by Hyundai.

Kevin Goult, Hyundai’s director of marketing for Australia, shared that conversational UI is redefining community management, and they wanted to extend Hyundai’s offering by providing customers with a helpful experience on social channels. 

“We are confident the Facebook chatbot created by Orchard will deliver a higher level of customer satisfaction and engagement with Hyundai,” said Goult.

The new feature is an Australian automotive first for community management, which aims to assist current and prospective Hyundai owners to interactively find information about vehicles while on Facebook.

Meanwhile, Andrew Killey, Orchard’s practice lead, noted, “Customers love the convenience and can become easily frustrated by having to wait online for answers. We wanted to create a seamless UI experience that engages users with Hyundai right from the start of the customer journey until the very end.”

Paul Balbo, the client partner at Facebook Australia, commented, “We are confident that this Messenger project will help Hyundai increase customer satisfaction, lower costs and ultimately drive sales.”

Just recently, Hyundai has unveiled its newest ‘Tomorrow wants its car back’ campaign for its all-new car model, ‘Hyundai Tucson’. It features the car’s futuristic look with the appearance of robots coming from the future to steal back what is rightfully theirs from 2021.

Sydney, Australia – In response to widening its brand experience offering to potential clients, creative agency Orchard has announced three new senior hires namely Gina Hughes as experience director, Alyson Wales as brand experience director and David Mugford as associate digital creative director.

Hughes has been in the industry for over 20 years, leading clients through human-centered design processes to create remarkable customer experiences. She has previously worked as an experience design director at Ogilvy for six years.

Meanwhile, Wales’ career began in the UK, founded in direct marketing and brand building. Since 1999, Wales has worked with some of Australia’s biggest brands and agencies, her client portfolio including The Economist, Tesco Clubcard, Roche, Telstra, among others. She was recently the strategy lead at Ogilvy, where she handled the account of American Express. 

Lastly, Mugford specializes in user interface design and experience, art direction and concept development, with a particular passion for crafting digital experiences that combine creativity and technology. He joins the team with over 10 years of experience, both locally and internationally, across major brands including Volkswagen, Uber, Target, Telstra, among others.

Speaking about the recent appointments, Tim Condrick, creative director at Orchard, said, “Orchard has always been a digital leader in Australia, always at the forefront, constantly adapting and changing to meet future challenges – bringing someone as talented and experienced as David on board continues that tradition and supercharges our ability and determination to invent better.”

Meanwhile, Mikaela Crimmins, head of experience at Orchard, commented, “Orchard has always been the home of different shaped ideas and this requires people who think about brands as not only promises but experiences too. Gina and Alyson strengthen an already diverse mix of thinkers, and bring to Orchard the right amount of experience and spirit we love.”