Special New Zealand has been appointed the creative agency for Suntory Oceania’s V Energy in Australia and New Zealand, following a competitive pitch process.

Special will be responsible for strategy, creative and PR for the brand, joining V Energy’s existing agency village of OMD, Flywheel and Denomination.

Suntory Oceania chief marketing officer, Bríd Drohan-Stewart, stated, “V Energy has always been a brand that does things differently, which makes Special a natural partner for us. Together, we’ll channel Suntory’s Yatte Minahare spirit of dreaming big and taking on bold challenges to unlock new opportunities for the brand to keep V Energy at the forefront of culture and conversation”.

Zoe Alden, head of business management at Special, added, “Winning new business is always exciting, but this one feels especially meaningful. V Energy is an iconic brand that has consistently challenged convention, and we’re incredibly grateful for the opportunity to help write its next chapter.”

Adds Jolene D’Souza, head of strategy at Special, commented, “V Energy has always had a distinctive and mischievous place in culture so the chance to help shape what comes next is exciting. The V team gave us the kind of brief you couldn’t help but get inspired by and as someone who grew up drinking V, it feels like a genuine privilege to now be part of that story. Although I should be upfront…I’ll also be using this opportunity to campaign relentlessly for the return of V Black.”