AUCKLAND, Today: Iconic Kiwi department store Farmers is returning to 99 and the Clemenger Group, following a competitive pitch process which saw specialist customer agency, 99, together with the group’s creative powerhouse Colenso BBDO, awarded the creative and retail business for Farmers.
Farmers previously worked with 99 before taking their advertising, including creative, in-house in 2014. The pitch effectively reinforces Clemenger Group’s over-arching creative chores across the wider group.
Farmers has 59 stores located across the country. The retail business has returned to 99 after a six-year hiatus.
99 MD Troy Fuller said the win is a welcome addition to 99’s growing client portfolio, which includes New World, Mazda, Spark, Pizza Hut and Kiwi Property as just some of its high-profile retail brands.
He said the agency is more prepared than ever to tackle the challenge of helping Farmers differentiate its shopper experience in a competitive and fast paced marketplace.
“Never before has there been a more important time for retailers to stand out – to be creative and to have conversations with customers, not just talk at them,” said Fuller.
“Appointing an agency to lead creative and production of key retail and brand activities reflects our need to ensure world-class marketing outcomes for Farmers.”
“The team we have custom-built for Farmers is filled with the industry’s brightest minds, who have an unrivalled knowledge of what customers want and can pair in-depth insight with new technology to deliver specialised, engaging solutions not found anywhere else. We can’t wait to get started.”
Group ceo Jim Gall highlighted the power of the collaboration and specialisation that the individual agencies demonstrated during the pitch process.
“From the data and intelligence of Perceptive, to the clarity and integrity of the customer experience delivered through 99, along with the creative firepower of Colenso BBDO, our agencies presented as a united, focused and creatively inspired team, formed specifically for Farmers’ needs.
“Farmers is a true New Zealand retail icon and we’re looking forward to working with Nicky Dunn and the Farmers team to help the business build more valuable experiences for their customers.”
The appointments come after Farmers undertook a strategic review of its marketing and recently evaluated its internal and external capabilities.
Farmers head of marketing Nicky Dunn said: “The decision to appoint an agency to lead our creative and the production of key retail and brand activities, is a reflection of our need to ensure world-class marketing outcomes for Farmers. This appointment also allows us to be more nimble and customer-focused with our retained in-house capabilities.
“The Clemenger team demonstrated an in-depth understanding of the pressure retailers face, as well as a passion and commitment to the Farmers brand, which the team was very excited about. They also developed a new brand platform for Farmers that will help our business with the task of re-positioning our brand proposition to our customers.”
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