LOWE PULLS OUT OF LOTTERY PITCH
March 7 2007, 3:55 pm | | 35 Comments
Lowe New Zealand said today it would not contest the NZ Lotteries pitch, an account it has held for three years. The withdrawal leaves Saatchi & Saatchi, DDB and Colenso BBDO left in the running to present in early April.
Says Lowe NZ Managing Director Cameron Harland: “Obviously we are incredibly proud of the work and business results we have achieved with NZ Lotteries. Highlights include our contribution in turning around several years of decline and the launch of Big Wednesday.
“We are disappointed that our relationship will be coming to end, but we have taken the decision based upon a clear understanding that Lotteries are committed to a change.”
35 Comments
Crickey, this pitch is turning into a little thriller.
Sounds like they’re heading for a collapse.
Good call to pull out. The writing is clearly on the wall. And the cost of doing this pitch could go past six figures – in real costs.
Who knows what we’ll find underneath?
And then there were 3.
I hear it’s a lottery.
S.O.S Stephen.
Clients ay? Who needs them.
Attention all:I quite like Lowe’s work for lotto, i think lotto are mugs to go. They going from young cd with cool ideas to boring old pom type cd’s who do ads like they were back in the 90’s. Yea but no but yea thats got to hurt. And then they give themselves all the awards to try to prove to everyone that they know what they are doing. Give ya self a pat on the back why don’t ya.Back to Lowe…if thriller does not win an axis award for something, god help us. And to y and r. That nokia ad won’t win anything because the ad has to be done by a paying client not the agency. Ha Ha. Sorry guys and you got to keep ya staffs mouths shut. Like the ad a bit though, so shit ya stuck there.I see why duster given up on the axis along with most small agencies. Don’t blame the guy it’s all a bit gone pete tong if you ask me. Top man for making a stand.Oh and has anyone seen that ad with the two that go kiss each other? Takes 30sec and then they say something about x and y.Holy fuck that is a shocker. What a let down.Come on who did that? Own up and hand in your notice. Should not have let the dogs out with that one. Maybe i am missing something, maybe it’s art, who knows.SignedRant of the week.ps See ya next thursday.pss God i love advertising.
Isn’t it amazing when management/suits can’t manage a major account, that the first casualties are always creatives.We like to think that the NZ ad industry is creatively driven, but at the end of the day most creatives are viewed as an expense. Sad.
Yeah, clients fuck me off. Don’t they realise advertising is only good if it wins awards. Who cares if it makes them money – that’s not what this industry is all about! The latest thriller ads will totally win an award so Lotteries should be happy! Bloody ungrateful if you ask me.
well ranted 7.08.
Little thriller is a brilliant strategy, but the executions are so-so at best – other than the lift scambient.Rumour has it that the strategy and line were Sion’s work while the executions were post-Sion, which may explain the yawning quality gap.The TV is sooo awful it hurts and, presumably in the interests of creative purity, misses out anything to connect the little thrill of the TVC (which was not in fact thrilling) to the ‘little triller’ of the brand.The orchestra thing was beyond awful.As to young cool CD v the old guys, perhaps the client just didn’t feel comfortable that all the people they’d had relationships with had fucked off and left the agency in the hands of a bunch of juniors.And good on the client for telling Lowe the truth that they’d lost it and saving them the hassle and expense of a the pitch.I’ve seen too many pitches where the incumbent was a dead man walking but wasn’t put out of their misery until after they’d spent a lot of time, money and self-delusion on a doomed re-pitch.Vodafone next, followed by more bleating and denial from the self-important juniors at Hopetoun St.
9.24 you are so right.half the trouble is the agency thinks the client is working for them. And been a global means they have to drag as much money out of them as possible while they can. they hire crap suits to do this because the good ones all go back to client side because the benefits are better and the marketing is more of a challenge.ditch the suits, just have planners and all you need is creatives. thats the future all right.Most accounts people don’t even understand there clients buisness or want to.
My rant is to comment on the rant’s so far this week.Mr Rant wins. Apart from the odd typo, he made many valid points. It even had a few anon character’s in my office amused.Second best rant of the week goes to the mini cat fight that was happening in the NZ Advertising Revenue section, where an intern complained about not being able to get a full time job. Unfortunately he was cut to pieces within the first couple of comments. He tried a dead-cat-bounce comeback, but his chances of success were about as slim as a safe flight on Garuda. There is no third place rant for this week. I rang Hamfister to see if he had an steam to let off, but he was getting drunk at Showies. Personally speaking, Showies is quite good at the moment, lots of fresh off the boat East European girls.
Little Thriller an award winner? How’s that different to all the other stuff written on to of an endline? Get a new format.PS. Y&R didn’t pay for nothing. They don’t even have beer in the fridge on Fridays.
Steven Pearson knew when to cash up as he’s a grown up. Everyone else left there isn’t. It’s that simple. People spending MONEY want to deal with grown ups. They also don’t give a fuck about awards (agree with early letter re-old Poms) they just want good honest work that MOVES UNITS. That’s what advertising is for you know, TO MOVE UNITS. It’s not difficult. I think this is largely forgotten.
Dear 11:21,– “Vodafone next, followed by more bleating and denial from the self-important juniors at Hopetoun St.”How many TVCs does Lowe make for Vodafone? Big bucks go into Draft, the dm/interactive shop. The Draft guys are not juniors. Half of them are middleaged Poms, but not the asshole backslapping at the bach types.If Lowe loses Vodafone, does Draft lose it too? Where are those millions going?I think we should be told.
Jello biafraI’d have to challenge you on the showies call. those eastern euros are a nasty lot. half the others are over weight. but try your luck with alex – she’ll give you bang for your buck in the lappie room.
“…ditch the suits, just have planners and all you need is creatives. thats the future all right.”That’s been the future since before before some creatives were born, as heralded at least as far back as the original house ad launching Saatchi & Saatchi.It never seems to arrive.
Dear whoever,both Little Thrillers and Bestmates are moving huge Units as you like to call them. Good advertising is creative in order to sell Units as you call them. That’s what we do at Lowe we move Units. So why don’t you check the figures and refrain from speaking out of your arse.
11:21 – Anto is that you? I can taste your bitterness from here 🙂
Ha ha. No but this is Anto. Nice little thread this one.
Speaking of units moving: Lotteries and Vodafone. Maybe the advertising was too effective and they’re running out of units and therefore have to find a crapper agency.
And don’t forget Nestle which took off a couple of weeks ago. But maybe “Units” refers to members of staff laid off. (19 on Friday).Nice work.
Didn’t Lowe used to be a values based agency?
why wasn’t my update on showies posted?
11.21 writes:Okay, you’re right.I am bitter. All your advertising is wonderful. You are all great. And you didn’t just lose an account.
Attention all:The Rant here. I have done my research I am putting my neck on the line and going to say that Lowe will hold Vodafone.I think the creatives are doing a stella job there and good luck to them. As Telco Orange would say ” the future’s bright, the future is ….. with Lowe. So nice.I also think the investment campaign for lotto screwed them from the start, that was a shocker even my nana in cromwell stopped buying her weekly ticket. She died a week later, i reakon that campaign killed the old girl. If only she was around longer to see the bowls ad- still that would have probably killed her as well.Who did that ad? are you out there? Did your nana write that script?Back Thursday.The Rant.
Stella????? as in Artois? Drowning sorrows most probably. It does help sometimes. As does a dictionary.
blog and rant. who needs a dictionary- he funny.
I see that Lowe is on the cover of Admedia this month with Water Safety and Draft has won Ad of the Month for one of their Voda websites.First bit of good news at Hopetoun Street for weeks, ireckon.
Lowe is one of the least ego-driven agencies in town, and the creatives there are both smart and down to earth. Sometimes clients will do what they will, with no apparent reasoning. Anyone who has been in this industry for more than 5 minutes can attest to that. End of story.
Yeah, you’re right. They lost lotto because of a campaign done four years ago. Nothing whatsoever to do with the current management team.
“Sometimes clients will do what they will, with no apparent reasoning.”Every day must come as a wonderful new surprise when you do away with the idea of cause and effect.It must make planning difficult, but it does avoid many tricky questions.