After independent media and PR agency Lassoo took the Emirates account off Starcom last month, it looked fairly certain that it had some kind of connection to French holding company Havas, which won Emirates’ global media account last year. At the time, Lassoo’s directors weren’t able to comment, but now it has officially announced a strategic alliance and will act as the New Zealand arm of Havas Media Group.

It’s not unusual to see marcomms work for the New Zealand market that’s been done by our dear Australian friends. But Auckland independent Lassoo Media and PR has been reversing that trend recently after being enlisted to carry out trans-Tasman work for clients like Cavalier Bremworth, Trilogy and, most recently, The Comfort Group, which owns Sleepyhead and Sleepmaker, amongst other brands.

Fresh from its gobbledeegook-heavy global brand relaunch, the local branch of ZenithOptimedia has announced it has won the Puma New Zealand media account from incumbent Lassoo, which will continue to work with the brand in a PR capacity.