PHD Australia, part of the Omnicom Media Group, has won the $39 million Spotlight Group media account following a competitive tender process.
The appointment is for all of the company’s retail brands including Spotlight, Anaconda, Mountain Designs and Harris Scarfe. The account will be headquartered out of PHD’s Melbourne office.
Spotlight, a privately-owned $2 billion parent company, this year bought department store chain Harris Scarfe which went into administration in December 2019 with sales of $380 million.
Simon Lawson, PHD’s Melbourne general manager, says the final stage of the pitch was done via video call.
“I’m happy our enthusiasm for Spotlight Group’s brands and the ideas we put forward translated effectively in this format,” he says.
“We felt a strong cultural connection with the team at Spotlight Group throughout the process and we can’t wait to start making the leap with them.”
PHD Australia’s newly appointed CEO, Mark Jarrett, says the last few months have been challenging for everyone.
“But this is an amazing opportunity, to provide growth for our business, our people and most importantly, for Spotlight Group. We look forward to building a strong and longstanding partnership with them,” he says.
PHD Australia’s remit includes the development of communications strategy as well as media planning and buying across traditional channels, programmatic and paid search.
The appointment is effective August 1.
