TLDR
Westpac says it has no plans to appoint a lead creative agency, six months after it split with BMF. The bank is choosing agencies project by project, with New Zealand's The Tuesday Club behind its last two campaigns, and it says Droga5 is not on its panel.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
No lead agency
Westpac does not plan to appoint a lead creative agency, six months after it parted ways with BMF. "We're pleased with how the model is working," a Westpac spokesperson told AdNews. "It gives us flexibility to choose the right creative partner for each project and we have no foreseeable plans to change the approach."[1]
The Tuesday Club has made the bank's two most recent campaigns. "The Tuesday Club led our latest youth campaign, as well as the February 'Double You' campaign, and is working with Westpac on a project basis in line with our current model," the spokesperson said. Westpac also confirmed Droga5 is not on its creative panel, but would not say which agencies are.[1]
How BMF left
BMF won the account in early 2025 from DDB, which had held it for 13 years, and the two parted in April after about 14 months.[1] Each side framed the split as its own call. Westpac said it ended the partnership "as part of a regular review of our agency roster" and that its needs "now encompass digital, marketing and communications capabilities". BMF said Westpac had moved to project work and that "given new client wins and a strong pipeline, we've now made the decision to move on".[2]
'Double You', which launched in February crediting both The Tuesday Club and BMF, followed a reported 25% rise in Westpac's ad spend to $220 million in the 2025 financial year.[1]
The youth campaign
The Tuesday Club's youth campaign, launched in June with media agency Spark Foundry, was built around an original song with young artists to sell Westpac's accounts for teens and tweens. "We want to help more young people build confidence with money from the start," said Michelle Klein, Westpac's chief growth, brand and marketing officer.[3]
A different call in New Zealand
Westpac's New Zealand business has gone the other way. In March it appointed Goldilocks, a bespoke Omnicom agency model built for its account.[1]
SOURCES & CITATIONS
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Does Westpac have a lead creative agency?
Who made Westpac's recent ads?
Why did Westpac and BMF split?
James Dore is founder and editor of Prompt the Market and Strategy Director at Bushnote, a Sydney strategy, SEO and AI search agency. He has a background in strategy, media and financial services, and led consumer product marketing at MONEYME. He writes on AI search, answer engines, technology policy and media economics.
