BMF fires Westpac after addition of Droga5 to roster
Klein had opened up the roster to other agencies
BMF has ended its relationship with Westpac only a year after being appointed the bank’s creative agency of record, Mumbrella can reveal.
The Enero-owned agency confirmed it had “stepped away” from Westpac six weeks after the end of its retainer contract, following the bank’s decision to move to a project-based model.
Mumbrella understands that since the arrival of new CMO Michelle Klein late last year, Westpac begin working with BMF rival Droga5 as it moved to widen its agency roster. Droga5 is owned by Accenture, with which the bank has a long term relationship.
“We’re proud of what we’ve achieved with Westpac, including the launch of its new brand platform ‘It Takes a Little Westpac’ and are grateful for the opportunity and partnership,” a BMF spokesperson said in a statement.
“Recently, and in response to Westpac moving to a project basis model, we have been re-focusing our talent and business where we can deliver the greatest impact, leveraging our world-class, ambitious creativity and effectiveness. Given new client wins and a strong pipeline, we’ve now made the decision to move on.”
Mumbrella understands that BMF was unaware Westpac was working with Droga5 ANZ until recently.
BMF was announced as Westpac’s strategic creative and brand agency in February 2025, following a competitive pitch that saw the end of the bank’s 10-year relationship with DDB.
Shortly after winning the account, BMF launched its first work for the bank, introducing the brand platform “It Takes a Little Westpac”, positioned as the foundation of Westpac’s future brand direction and a precursor to a broader above-the-line campaign.
BMF’s appointment also coincided with the departure of chief marketing officer Annabel Fribence and a cull of its in-house media team, which saw around 30 roles made redundant.
At the end of last year, the bank appointed IAG’s chief customer and marketing executive Michelle Klein, to the newly repositioned role of chief growth and marketing officer.
Klein previously worked with Droga5 ANZ, part of Accenture Song, during her time at IAG.
More recently, BMF and Westpac unveiled their first campaign under Klein’s leadership, “Double You”, developed alongside The Tuesday Club.
On Friday, prior to BMF telling Westpac that it was ending the relationship, the bank told Mumbrella: “BMF continues to play an important role in our partnership model, which we have run for some time. We currently operate a project-based model, drawing on the expertise of our roster of agency partners to achieve the best results for each brief.”
An updated statement from the bank had not been received at the time of publishing.
12.50pm update: Westpac sent Mumbrella a statement claiming the bank had been the one to call an end to the relationship. It said:
“As part of a regular review of our agency roster and ways of working, we’ve made the decision not to continue our partnership with BMF.
“We thank BMF for their partnership over the past year. They’ve delivered significant pieces of work, including launching our new ‘It takes a little Westpac’ brand platform and helping deliver our recent ‘Double You’ brand campaign, both of which have played an important role in the evolution of our brand.
“We wish them all the best for the future.”
1pm update: Mumbrella understands that in a call initiated by BMF to address the rumours of other agencies being called in, Westpac was first to tell the agency that it wanted to move on.
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As an agency owner..we are getting right royally sick of this project by project bullshit.
I dont think the Westpac work was that great anyway..but the behavior of the client is pretty woeful. It’ll come back and bite them. Both as a corporate and as an individual.
So the behaviour of clients hasn’t improved in the last 30 yrs then .
Well done, BMF. They are better off in the long run, one would think.
Publicis would be quaking in their boots given the client employed the Accenture media team when they were at Initiative
You didn’t dump me, I dumped you first!
Hats off to BMF for delivering the best work for Westpac in quite some time. It’s sad to see that they weren’t appreciative enough to stick with the relationship. A very wise client of mine always said “If you want to change your agency, CHANGE your agency”. i.e. speak to them openly and honestly about what you you’re looking for and how they might adapt their service or approach to suit – before you go calling a pitch or jumping into bed with another.