GroupM’s essenceMediacom has won the hotly-contested Specsavers account, and will become the brand’s media agency across Australia and New Zealand from 1 March 2025. Mediaweek understands the account is worth $50-60 million.
The win extends essenceMediacom’s remit of the account; it has held the New Zealand business since 2010. Initiative was the incumbent in the Australian market.
“I’m so proud of the team and the work they have done in NZ. We all loved working on this pitch, it was an incredible and enjoyable process,” essenceMediacom CEO Pippa Berlocher said.
“It was amazing to see the team shine and engage so well with the awesome team at Specsavers from the beginning. I can’t wait to demonstrate that same level of passion and knowledge for the Specsavers business in AU.”
The four month-long pitch process began in April. Agencies across AUNZ were invited to submit an expression of interest.
“We want to acknowledge and thank all the agencies that took part in each stage of the pitch process from the initial RFI response to the chemistry sessions and finally, the shortlisted five agencies who took part in workshops to assess their ability to respond in a simulated live environment,” Specsavers director of marketing planning ANZ Shaun Briggs said.
“All agencies came with passion for our business and presented quality work which highlighted the strength of Australia and New Zealand’s media agencies.”
Briggs added that essenceMediacom showed “strategic thinking, media expertise, and data and tech capability” throughout the pitch process.
“They combined their intelligence with a passion for our business that really resonated with our team,” he said.
Briggs thanked Initiative, which held the account since 2016, saying the agency delivered “strong media buying and a collaborative partnership over the last eight years. We wish them all the best for the future.”
essenceMediacom will now work with Specsavers’ other agency partners including creative agency TBWA\Melbourne, which won the account in 2023 from AJF Partnership.
The media account will be run out of essenceMediacom’s Melbourne and Auckland offices.