Droga5 gets Qantas business

After keeping mum about its client wins, Doga5 has taken to shouting from the rooftops.

“To date, we have been deliberately quiet about who we partner with – however, we are now working with AA Travel Australasia, Phoenix Organics, Qantas, Lion Nathan, Fiveight, Randon House and domestic abuse charity Shine," creative director Mike O’Sullivan said in a statement. 

"And shortly we will be able to announce another significant name.” 

After Mr Sullivan said yesterday Droga 5 would not be issuing any media statements about the departure of fellow director Andrew “Rocky” Stone, the company issued a media release this afternoon to say it had won the global Qantas account.

The win, however, was through its Sydney office and came into effect from July 1, though as part of the deal Droga5 in Auckland would be working with the airline in New Zealand.

Fellow Droga director Jose Alomajan said when the company was launched in 2010 it did not want to “overstate [its] intentions” by announcing customer wins, though it did announce ASB bank as inaugural client.

“We feel that now is a good time to share some of the clients we are working with,” Mr Alomajan told NBR ONLINE.

He denied this was to reassure people after the departure of Mr Stone.

With the recent loss of the ASB account, it’s “probably a good opportunity to let people know it’s business as usual and full steam ahead.”

Today’s media release confirmed Mr Stone was leaving permanently to go “fishing”.

It said Mr O’Sullivan would take overall charge of the agency in Auckland, which employs 12 full-timers, plus freelancers and contractors on demand.

The release also confirmed David Droga in New York and David Nobay in Sydney would be creative chairmen of their respective agencies.

Talking of which, Sydney-based Droga5 has also lost a founding partner, Marianne Bess, who is returning to the US, also citing personal reasons.

The American ran the North American Toyota account for Saatchi & Saatchi in Los Angelese before moving to Sydney in 2002, where she joined David Nobay at Saatchi & Saatchi Sydney before starting Droga5 there almost five years ago.

Though it might seem suspicious for both Droga5 offices to lose founding partners about the same time, Mr Alomajan insisted it was “totally a coincidence”.