Clemenger Wins Kmart Australia’s Creative Account

Clemenger has won Kmart’s creative account, LBB can reveal, marking the first pitch win for the new-era agency led by Lee Leggett, following its merge with CHEP Network and Traffik.

It's the conclusion of a pitch that began in November, before the merger was announced last month, and the subsequent departures of former Clems chief executive Dani Bassil, chief creative officer Adrián Flores, and chief growth officer Anita Zanesco.

The incumbent is Dentsu Creative, which won the account in 2022 and ended DDB's relationship with Kmart. Before DDB secured the account in 2020, BWM Dentsu managed the account for nearly a decade.

Dentsu Creative did not re-pitch for the latest contract. Clemenger, Kmart, and Dentsu were contacted for comment.

Kmart joins brands such as Samsung, Asahi, Mars, Michael Hill, and 7-Eleven in the Clemenger stable. Over the past year, CHEP Network won a host of new business including Simplot, Bupa, Tourism NT, and Spirit of Tasmania – now brought into the Clemenger fold with the merge.

Kmart is a dominant player in the Australian retail market. At the end of the 2023/24 financial year, parent company Wesfarmers reported Kmart Group recorded a revenue of $11.1 million, with profits lifting by almost 25%. Its marketing function is led by general manager of marketing, Rennie Freer.

The win fills a category gap in the retail space for the agency after Clemenger declined to re-pitch for Myer late last year. At the time, LBB revealed that the account was up for pitch and ultimately went to Howatson+Co.

Clemenger’s appointment to the account follows a broader shake-up for the agency. Last month, BBDO Worldwide merged Clemenger BBDO, CHEP Network, and Traffik into a single entity, as global CEO Nancy Reyes revealed in an exclusive interview with LBB.

“We've got this magic, but it's not operating to its fullest potential," Nancy told LBB of the decision to concentrate Clemenger Group's offering in Australia.

“If we want to care about a client's business, we've got to get our own house in order so that we are capable of saying, 'Okay, this feels like this kind of a problem. I need these kinds of expert thinkers, and they're right here.' We don't put more obstacles in our people's way to access the talent and the expertise that already is inside."

She added of the agency's future, “The best days are ahead. I'm really bullish about it.”

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Top image: Clemenger's Lee Leggett and Kmart's Rennie Freer