fbpx

Goodman Fielder casts its net wide for dairy pitch

Since the closure of Publicis Mojo at the end of last year, Goodman Fielder has been working with Joy, the agency set up by ex-Mojo chair and chief executive Graeme Wills. And, according to Goodman Fielder’s PR and communications manager Ra Fletcher, it continues to do so. But it also appears to be looking at its agency options. â€‹

Fletcher didn’t answer our emailed questions about whether there was a pitch, what part of the business was up for grabs in the pitch or the agencies that have been approached. But it’s thought it is just for the dairy business, and while it’s not clear who’s in the running, the company, which shifted part of its marketing function back to Australia in 2011, appears to have cast its net pretty wide to get a feel for the market. 

Fletcher did say Goodman Fielder’s dairy revenue for FY12 was $523.5 million, which is second only to Fonterra (it owns brands like Meadow Fresh, Puhoi Valley, Tararua and Chesdale and one of Mojo’s last campaigns before it was placed in voluntary liquidation was Kiwi Faves, which showed how the company’s range of products were being put to use across the country). 

Young & Shand works across a number of Goodman Fielder’s brands on the digital side of things (including Kiwi Faves) and it’s thought the company has also undertaken a review of its digital partners. But at this stage, no changes have been made. 

As for Joy, which has offices in Auckland, Sydney and Melbourne, with hopes of a New York office in the future, it’s been pretty quiet since announcing its arrival on New Zealand soil. Neither Wills or managing director Kay Boyle were able to be contacted. But Goodman Fielder came across from Mojo as its foundation client, and when we spoke with Wills in January, he says it was also finishing off some work for Nestle. It’s also thought to be handling the Hallensteins business, but ex-Mojo client Subway is currently being handled out of Australia (on a related note, Subway’s head of marketing David Herrick has departed and Robert Saunders has taken over). 

At the time, Wills said Joy would be selective about who it works with, which meant a lot of clients at Mojo wouldn’t be suitable for it. 

About Author

Comments are closed.