Sources said that Starcom beat six agencies, including Universal McCann,
Zenith and incumbent OMD, to take the Effern media strategy and planning
assignment. Effern Foods Group handles some of Australia's best-known
brands such as Mars Confectionery, Masterfoods sauces and Uncle Ben's
pet food.
Effern Foods brands have also undergone some changes recently; most
notably, the Australian Mars tagline of "Work, rest and play
has been extended to include the line "Original energy source
in a bid to refresh the brand.
Meanwhile, group marketing manager for Suncorp-Metway, John Ford, said the Queensland-based financial giant was in final negotiations with Starcom and that they were expected to exchange contracts this month.
Starcom beat a string of other agencies, believed to include Universal and OMD. Suncorp-Metway has undergone significant structural changes with the acquisition of major Australian insurer GIO. Ford said the account review was intended to unite Suncorp-Metway's brand line-up under a more efficient marketing structure.
