TWE appoints global marketing agency

By James Atkinson

Treasury Wine Estates (TWE) has announced the appointment of J. Walter Thompson Company as its new global marketing services provider.

Headquartered in New York, J. Walter Thompson's London office has worked extensively with Premier Foods, which Mike Clarke ran prior to joining Treasury Wine Estates as CEO.

However, a TWE spokesman denied the suggestion that JWT was a 'captain’s pick' for Clarke.

"Mike does indeed know JWT from Premier Foods but he’s also worked with a heap of other good agencies over the years," the spokesman told TheShout.

"In pretty much every role he’s worked, marketing agencies have been appointed and led by the chief marketing officer (CMO), and that’s the case again with TWE. [CMO] Simon Marton was the lead player in this decision."

In Sydney, JWT worked on the 'Stop Before It Gets Ugly' campaign to tackle alcohol-related violence for the New South Wales Government.

The Sydney office will provide TWE with marketing communications, creative strategy, trade marketing, shopper marketing, digital marketing, and consumer and lifestyle public relations services for every TWE brand in every geography around the world, with the exception of Penfolds advertising and related creative development.

TWE chief marketing officer, Simon Marton, said the new partnership with J. Walter Thompson will play a key part in supporting TWE's step-up in consumer marketing, foreshadowed by Mike Clarke.

"Our partnership with J. Walter Thompson as TWE's global marketing services provider will help us build stronger brands in markets across the globe, ensuring that we gain greater impact from our increased marketing investment. In addition, J. Walter Thompson will integrate and support our in-house marketing team, who will now be able to leverage J. Walter Thompson’s international network and capability."

“Importantly, we will also have a consolidated and truly international approach to the marketing of our brands, and we will be able to go to market faster and operate in a more globally consistent way.

"These efficiencies will help us gain the maximum output from our step-up in consumer marketing of our brands and support the turnaround of our business as we strive for long-term sustainable growth."

TWE will transition the services of many of its existing marketing services suppliers around the globe to J. Walter Thompson over the next three months.