by Herman Manson (@marklives) Mutual & Federal has appointed Radar as its new lead agency, following a five-way pitch. The account move is effective from 1 October 2014.
Mutual & Federal provides short-term insurance services and in 2010 became a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Old Mutual Group, which is one of Radar’s founding clients.
Process of reinvention
The agency, known as Under the Radar until a rebrand in early 2013, has been in a process of reinvention after co-founder Jason Ray bought out his business partners in that same year.
According to Ray, the account win is significant for the agency, which started in the BTL space, as it won a through-the-line pitch against a number of significant Johannesburg-based agencies. As a result of the win, it’s speeding up growth of its Joburg office and is looking to recruit 10 new staff members.
“We wanted an agency that is truly through-the-line — above, below and beyond,” says Thobile Tshabalala, head: marketing & communication at Mutual & Federal. “People who really understand that a brand is built through every aspect of its connection with its customers and staff. We also wanted an agency that we believed understood our business and is able to offer a unique point of view on a cluttered category.”
Aggressively repositioning
The agency is mandated with aggressively repositioning the Mutual & Federal brand in the minds of both brokers and consumers, and it intends to significantly increase its presence in the market, says Ray.
The account was previously held by Volcano Group, recently rebranded as Grey South Africa, and Chillibush handled internal communications. Flume Digital Marketing retains the digital business, however.
— MarkLives’ round-up of top ad and media industry news and opinion in your mailbox every three work days. Sign up here!