Carat retains 30m Tourism Australia account

Carat is understood to have retained the 30m Tourism Australia media account. The agency was awarded the account following a pitch against Media Planning Group.

Carat is understood to have retained the £30m Tourism Australia media account. The agency was awarded the account following a pitch against Media Planning Group.

It is thought Carat will keep the business for another three years. Its contract with Tourism Australia had been extended to the end of September following a protracted pitch.

The tourism body had a statutory requirement to go to tender to either reappoint the incumbent or find a new agency because the existing three-year contracts expired on June 30 this year.

In July DDB won Tourism Australia’s advertising account following a pitch against Saatchi & Saatchi. Incumbent M&C Saatchi was knocked out before the final shortlist.

In 2005, the first review of the body’s global advertising business caused a storm of controversy over the way the review was handled. Allegations over the pitch being run unfairly led to the then-opposition Labor Party asking questions about the speed and transparency of the review (MW May 19, 2005).