KiwiRail appoints DDB New Zealand as creative agency following a competitive pitch process

State-Owned Enterprise KiwiRail has today announced its appointment of DDB as creative agency following a competitive pitch involving five agencies.

Richard Keenan, tourism brand manager at KiwiRail, says the team were impressed by DDB’s mix of experience, including deep digital expertise and great core brand strategy, driving exceptional commercial outcomes.

Says Keenan: “Meeting with the DDB team, we could tell they had a strong connection with our organisation and what we’re trying to achieve. Their track-record of telling beautifully crafted brand stories to produce business transformation speaks for itself, and it’s what we want to see for KiwiRail.

“The team at KiwiRail are excited to see the first work to come off the back of this partnership, and I can’t wait to see the response of the New Zealand public.”

Justin Mowday, DDB NZ CEO, says winning the KiwiRail business following wins in the last six months of 2degrees, Warehouse Stationery, Volkswagen, NZ Steel and Weetbix, shows the agency’s approach is working.

Says Mowday: “We came out a year ago and said we adamantly believe that brand communications designed thoughtfully to deliver fame, feeling and fluency will drive unreasonable growth for any business. This is the conversation we’ve had in every new business meeting, and this is the approach we’ve been demonstrating in the work we’ve been producing for all of our clients.

“Because of this, we can say to KiwiRail: you’ve got an incredible story. You’re part of the fabric of New Zealand, delighting thousands of customers daily with journeys that can’t be matched anywhere else in the world, and we can provide the strategy and creative firepower to tell that story in a way that will change your business. We’re excited to get cracking.”