Droga5, Accenture Song Media Win Highly-Coveted Optus Account

Optus has appointed Accenture Song Media and Droga5 as its new media and creative agencies, in what the telco describes as a reflection of "a strategic shift toward a simplified agency model."

Apparent has been appointed as specialist B2B creative partner, and production incumbent BRX will remain the production partner under an expanded scope. The appointments conclude one of the year's most hotly-contested local pitches, and will take effect at the end of August.

Earlier this year, LBB revealed the creative account was up for pitch. The media pitch process began late last year.

The incumbents were Emotive, UM and M&C Saatchi’s Yes Agency. Cam Luby, head of marketing at Optus, thanked them "for their partnership, dedication and the impact they have had on the Optus business over the past decade.”

“As the way people live, work and connect evolves, we’ve chosen partners who truly understand our industry and bring future-fit capabilities we need to stay ahead — especially in AI, automation, and data-led storytelling," Cam added.

“With the right blend of creativity and technology across our new agency panel, we’re excited about the opportunities ahead. This new lineup brings together unmatched firepower to help us drive more integrated, effective, and future-ready marketing.”

Matt Michael, CEO of Droga5 ANZ and managing director of marketing at Accenture Song, said, “This is an incredible moment for us, to partner with a team and a business like Optus whose ambitions are so aligned to ours. Optus represents much of our own values – a provocateur, an innovator, a pioneer.”

The telco becomes Accenture Song Media's foundation client, after the consultancy poached Initiative's top brass -- CEO Melissa Fein, MD Sam Geer, and CSO Chris Colter -- to set up a media unit last year.

"For us, Optus is a perfect and truly unique foundational partner," Mel said.

"One that embodies the spirit of what it means to be a challenger and has the depth of talent across their marketing team to realise that ambition.

“There’s limitless potential for this partnership, with our media proposition underpinned by AI and Optus being a technology-first business.”

Optus' senior director of media and operations, Lauren Dawber, said housing media and creative within Accenture made sense because Droga5 is renowned for "world-class creativity" and the business now offers a "powerful media capability."

“This partnership strengthens our ability to connect with customers in more meaningful, effective, and culturally relevant ways," she said.

Optus' marketers added the appointments are designed to balance efficiency with investing for the future. The telco is competing with Telstra for market share and creative cut-through -- CMO Brent Smart paired an indie hot shop with a network when he formed the +61 agency model in 2023, and has been on a lauded creative streak since -- while Vodafone is also up for pitch.

Felicity Ross, chief corporate affairs and marketing officer at Optus, said the pitch process was "extremely professional" and involved "deep consideration of our ambition, and respect for the expertise of all involved.”

“This is an exciting step for Optus as we look to accelerate our ability to execute with impact, yet efficiently and with a simplified approach," she said.

BRX's reappointment cuts down the list of Optus' production partners from two to one, streamlining processes and ensuring the brand can "respond more effectively to market demands."

“BRX has been the backbone of our digital advertising—powering rich, creative, and high-performing marketing with speed and efficiency," Cam said.

"Enabled by automation and AI, their tools help us scale and test rapidly. We’re excited to expand on this partnership."

Apparent becomes Optus' first-ever specialised B2B partner. Apparent managing director, Suzy Smiley, said, “We're proud to partner with a forward-thinking business and keen to blend our data-driven strategic thinking with innovative creativity to deliver solutions that drive business growth.”

Optus' most recent work, which launched last year, included a spot starring Delta Goodrem and Jason Donovan, a platform called 'We're All In' aimed at small businesses, and a series of TVCs starring an eshay fairy and fox puppet, all of which was created by independent incumbent Emotive.