ANZ fires M&C Saatchi
CB hears ANZ has fired M&C Saatchi, with one source saying the dramatic move by ANZ – which retains M&C Saatchi in Australia – may have been prompted by the news that Darryn Melrose was to leave the CEO role at AIM Proximity for the CEO job at M&C Saatchi. The business could go to pitch, but then again it could go straight to DDB, which last month lost out to DraftFCB pitching for the National Bank.
ANZ/National marketing director Mike Cunnington was a colleague of Melrose’s at AIM, when Cunnington was appointed joint managing director with Melrose after the departure of former CEO Sharon Henderson in February, 2006. However, Melrose was eventually appointed CEO, leaving Cunnington in the sole MD role, and in August 2006, Cunnington departed for the client side, to Hanover Finance, and since then moved to his current role at ANZ/National.
16 Comments
Off to a flyer then. Still, chin up, at least you’ve still got Warehouse Stationery (well until they call their annual review and find someone cheaper, again)
They were fired at the start of last week. Now we can understand why the AIM guys were hired.
The thing is that Southland now have the Ranfurly Shield.
Yeah, easy.
I think 9.54 is ONE of the Aim guys trying to change the real story. M&C were fired AFTER the client was informed of the changes and AFTER they were told who their new CEO was. They didn’t want more changes. I reckon NBR’s storry pretty well covers it.
Hardly a surprise given the history.
With the new campaign for ANZ just launched in Aussie watch this space for them simply to role NZ into something similar and done out of Oz. After all the Aussie bank masters just view NZ as a state of Australia, priority wise ranked below Tasmania.
Revenge is sweet.
As I heard it, after the Aim CEO lost his job, all three went to Baylo’s boss to take his job and his agency. Bank firing came after that.
Nice one Southland.
What a fuckin mess.
Rock on Baylo. Down but not out.
ANZ are nothing and nowhere as a brand. Just do some good ads, yeah easy.
Yeah, nice one Southland…1st time in 50 odd years I read, plus with Wellington winning it last year for the 1st time since the early 80s, it’s great for the game.
M&C are of to a flyer as an interactive powerhouse. Their site still shows Nick Bayliss as CEO as well as listing articles about him.
hahaha inevitable!
I guess the creatives probably weren’t too worried about being made redundant, they knew there would be no accounts to work on in a couple of weeks anyway!
8.09 – there is one MASSIVE flaw in your logic: since when has a bank ever moved that quick. NEVER is the answer.
Now my contribution to idiot blog posting – Manawatu will lift the shield early in 2010