Pitch Update: Santander, Waitrose & Partners, Lastminute.com and more

NFU Mutual embarks on a creative review while some agencies were disappointed when an expected pitch was cancelled.

Tfoso Tfoso
Mar 12, 2022 - 21:04
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Pitch Update: Santander, Waitrose & Partners, Lastminute.com and more

Reviews

NFU Mutual is looking to farm a fresh crop of creative agencies ahead of a pitch for its £8-10m account. George & Dragon won the business against independent creative shop 101 (now part of MullenLowe) in 2017, but no longer works with the rural insurer. Krow was asked to pitch six years ago through ISBA.

Some agencies had been getting excited about an AAR project, which was billed a big advertising review. Now, when intermediaries say they spend a lot of time working to improve relationships between marketers and their agencies Campaign can be a bit sceptical. However, in this case, that seems to be what has happened. 

The brand has decided to stick with its agency after all, to the disappointment of some, and possibly to the relief of others, given the toil pitches can take on one's working and home life. Whether the incumbent agency is oblivious is not known. AAR was unavailable for comment.

Wins

Waitrose & Partners has selected We Are Collider following a competitive pitch to deliver a range of events in 2022. We Are Collider will be dishing up activations at summer festivals with pop-up food and drink experiences; plus a proprietary Waitrose Winter Food and Drink Festival in November.  

Ten agencies were in the mix for the business, with presentations taking place at Waitrose HQ in Bracknell, Berkshire. It was We Are Collider's first "in person" pitch since the end of 2019.

Banco Santander has named Dentsu-owned Carat as its agency of record for the UK, Spain and Portugal. Fellow Dentsu agency, Dentsu X, won the account for the US and Poland. It will have been a sweet win for Carat, which has worked with the bank (and its predecessors) in the UK for 20 years and takes over from Havas Media Group in Spain and Portugal. Havas Media Group and IPG Mediabrands were involved in the process. 

The wins followed a six-month international pitching process by Santander, called in October 2021, with plans to consolidate its media into a single agency across Europe.

Lastminute.com has got into bed with the Tour de France becoming an official Partner from 2022. The three-season sponsorship agreement with Amaury Sport Organisation is more than just a weekend away and includes Paris-Roubaix, Paris-Roubaix Femmes, the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift and L’Étape du Tour de France.    

To celebrate the partnership, Lastminute.com will launch a digital campaign under the theme of #tourlikeapro, with tips and advice on how to best experience the race and explore scenic Europen destinations. The digital campaign is being managed in-house by lastminute.com across Europe. Tour de France attendees will see Lastminute.com branding in the bibs and along the stages.   

As official travel sponsor Lastminute.com joins a roster of partners that includes Skoda Auto the official main partner and vehicle partner until 2023.