Spark appoints Proximity to direct marketing account
The end of an era for Rapp's eight-year partnership with the telco.
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Hawke’s Bay
Telco Spark [NZX:SPK] has selected Clemenger Group-owned Proximity for its direct marketing account, spelling the end to an eight-year partnership with DDB-owned Rapp.
Proximity will work alongside sister agency Touchcast, Spark’s digital agency.
The move comes as Proximity shakes up its leadership team, pinching top talent from overseas.
Spark general manager of customer and capability Summer Ormond paid tribute to Rapp, saying it played a “crucial role” in Spark’s rebrand and has delivered “highly successful” campaigns in broadband, mobile and SME.
Rapp managing director Robert Limb says it’s a hard loss but it’s simply a “break in our relationship.”
He offsets the loss by adding that Rapp has taken on projects from Air New Zealand and Westpac in the past two months.
Ms Ormond says the Spark brand is now embedded since rebranding from Telecom.
“This means using digital technology to totally re-imagine the customer experience we offer – an experience that should be both effortless and inspiring,” she says.
“This new focus will require a more joined up digital and data solution to work with internal technology teams, and so has led us to review our supplier mix. The combined capabilities of Proximity and Touchcast will allow Spark to harness the power of data and digital in truly innovative and agile ways.”
Both the Clemenger Group and DDB are owned by Omnicom.
According to Nielsen rate cards Spark spent $65 million on advertising last year while Vodafone spent $55.2 million
Campbell Gibson
Tue, 05 May 2015
Tue, 05 May 2015
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Spark appoints Proximity to direct marketing account
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