Vodafone Chooses Howatson+Co As Creative Agency of Record

Vodafone Australia has appointed Howatson+Company as its creative agency of record, ending a pitch process run by Trinity P3 and TPG Telecom's procurement team.

The pitch shortlist consisted entirely of independent agencies. Publicis' Saatchi & Saatchi was the incumbent.

Rebecca Darley, TPG Telecom's chief marketing officer, left her previous post as Domain CMO to join the telco last October.

“Howatson+Company impressed us with their bold thinking, cultural alignment and creative firepower," the CMO said.

"Vodafone is a brand that thrives on challenging conventions, and we’re excited to partner with Chris and the H+Co team to push boundaries.

“I would like to thank Saatchi & Saatchi for their commitment and creativity over recent years.”

Howatson+Company founder and CEO Chris Howatson added, "This appointment means a lot to us. Personally, Vodafone was my first carrier. Professionally, Vodafone is one of the top 100 most valuable global brands and is on a growth gradient here in Australia. It’s a privilege to partner with Bec, Lisa Cronin [head of brand and marketing], and their teams."

The appointment is effective immediately.

In June, rival telco Optus concluded its pitch process by appointing Droga5, Accenture Song, BRX, and Apparent across media, creative, and production.

Both telcos went to pitch following the creative momentum of market leader Telstra. CMO Brent Smart appointed bespoke model +61 at the end of 2023, which has resulted in 18 months of prolific and creatively lauded campaigns; last month, it won a Grand Prix at Cannes.

In May, Howatson+Company won the Australian Financial Review's account, just a few months after LBB revealed it had won Myer's consolidated creative and production business, and it set up AI-powered Plus Also Studios as part of securing the Endeavour account.

CSO Lilian Sor started at the agency this week. It has recently also hired executive strategy director Katharina Wynne, as revealed by LBB, and creative directors Letizia Bozzolini and Justin Butler.