PHD wins Bunnings media mandate after competitive pitch

PHD has won the media account for Bunnings, a major Australian retailer, following a competitive pitch that commenced in mid-March and concluded at the end of May.

Campaign understands that GroupM, Publicis Groupe, and IPG Mediabrands were all in the running for the account, which is now valued at $50 million. The business had been with Initiative, part of IPG, since 2010, when it was worth around $40 million in billings. Initiative did not defend the account in this review; instead, IPG Mediabrands entered the process with a bespoke solution, competing against PHD and other networks.

It is a big victory for PHD, which has recently retained Volkswagen’s global media account and added Asahi Group and Zurich Australia to its portfolio.

Both PHD and Initiative declined to comment on the result.

The win comes as Bunnings continues a strong 2025. The retailer launched its own retail media network, Hammer Media, earlier this year. Hammer Media provides advertisers access to over 14 million monthly website visitors and extensive in-store traffic, facilitating highly targeted campaigns using valuable first-party data. The network adopts an omnichannel approach, including partnerships with external platforms such as YouTube.

According to Campaign Asia-Pacific's May media new business rankings, Initiative fell to sixth position, down from fifth in April despite recent wins including Netflix Australia, Aspen Pharmacare, and Pizza Hut.