Interviews, insight & analysis on digital media & marketing

Agency News: McCann Worldgroup, iProspect, Fantastic Media and more

McCann Worldgroup, led by McCann London, has been named the Global Agency of Record for Peroni Nastro Azzurro (PNA), the world’s #1 premium Italian lager. The agency, which won the business following a competitive pitch run by AAR, takes on the task of delivering a long-term, global core creative platform that will serve as the foundation for Peroni Nastro Azzurro’s consistent brand narrative across multiple consumer touchpoints and markets spanning the UK, Europe and Asia Pacific. The remit includes a new global positioning and creative platform for the iconic Italian brand, as lead strategic and creative agency for the brand’s core communication campaigns. This includes the Peroni Nastro Azzurro 0.0 x Scudaria Ferrari partnership and House of Peroni Nastro Azzurro experiential platform.

Following a highly competitive four-way pitch, iProspect, a dentsu company, has been appointed by specialist insurer Hiscox as its search agency of record. The appointment brings together SEO and PPC with the goal of unlocking new growth opportunities for Hiscox. This is the first time Hiscox has unified these channels under a single agency, having previously split the responsibility between Kinesso (IPG) and Jellyfish (Brandtech Group). iProspect’s total search methodology seamlessly connects SEO and PPC, providing a cohesive and future-proof search strategy. It leverages the agency’s proprietary tools, technology and people to optimise search performance and deliver incremental, measurable results. Dedicated teams from across the national footprint of dentsu’s UK operation, made up of specialist PPC, SEO, UX and project management experts, deliver a clear roadmap to meet commercial success metrics and achieve net incremental growth. This is without the wastage attributed to duplicate agency partners and with the connected vision to develop a unified customer experience as seamless on the inside and is it appears on the outside.

Huddersfield Town (HTAFC) has appointed Leeds based full-service marketing agency, Fantastic Media, as its official brand and marketing partner to drive the club forward following its delivery of a successful rebrand. First appointed by the club in October 2023, Fantastic Media delivered a strategic rebrand for Huddersfield Town, which rolled out over several months, as part of a seven-figure ‘Everything Together’ campaign to revitalise the club and community ahead of the 2024/25 season. The campaign was inspired by the core message that everyone is an important voice in the success of the club; a journey backed by an unwavering pursuit of togetherness and pride. As Huddersfield Town’s official brand and marketing partner, Fantastic Media is committed to driving the club’s growth and strengthening its brand by delivering strategic consultancy and a range of support services. This partnership also extends to the wider business community, with a free event showcasing the success of the ‘Everything Together’ campaign, alongside offering complimentary consultations to HTAFC partners to foster collaboration and mutual success.

Blakely Clothing, the global men’s and women’s fashion brand, has appointed sports communications agency MatchFit to lead on earned storytelling around a huge period of growth within the UK. Following the signing of an innovative partnership with Norwich City Football Club – which sees Blakely become one of the first fashion brands ever to be front-of-shirt sponsors of a football club – MatchFit will lead on creative activations and communications at the intersection of football and fashion. Blakely was created in 2012 as a passion project by founder Gareth Newman in his Norfolk home, but has recently enjoyed significant growth to become one of the leading athleisure brands in the UK. In the last 12 months, the business has recorded global sales worth in excess of £37m. With Blakely still headquartered in Norfolk, the role as ‘principal partner’ of Norwich City seeks to engage and inspire the local community. As well as adorning the match and training kits, Norwich City and Blakely will also launch a dual-branded collection over the coming months that will be available in-store and online. MatchFit is leading on creative and execution around earned and sponsorship campaign work, as well as brand PR and storytelling around Blakely’s brand growth.