Patts Sydney scoops The Australian account

The Australian newspaper has appointed George Patterson Y&R Sydney as its new creative agency after a pitch which included M&C Saatchi, Sydney and Droga5, Sydney.

Commencing with The Australian next month, GPY&R’s brief is to reposition and further strengthen The Australian as a multi-platform news brand.

“This was a great pitch-win for us. The Australian brand is part of the country’s fabric and an icon in itself. To work with Lisa and the team in this time of change in the news media industry is incredibly exciting,” said Phil McDonald, managing director of George Patterson Y&R, Sydney.

Says The Australian’s marketing director, Lisa Bora: “The GPY&R pitch was highly cohesive, content led and commercially focussed on what is required to move The Australian brand from a highly respected newspaper to a news brand operating across all platforms.

“These creative reviews are never an easy decision making process. We were very fortunate to have such a strong talent pool focussed on our brand throughout the process across all of the short-listed agencies.  In particular, I would like to thank our incumbent agency, The Brand Shop, with whom we have had a strong relationship with over a number of years. They have been incredibly professional, committed to our brand and supportive of the creative review process. “

Working closely with The Australian’s commercial and editorial teams, GPY&R will be responsible for all creative brand repositioning and promotional executions across core content and brand platforms.