Credit: Miles Burke via Unsplash
The Royal Australian Mint is asking agencies to build national B2B coin programs, a brief that drops the coin maker squarely into the retail promotions world long owned by supermarkets and big box chains.
The tender seeks marketing partners to create new collectible coin programs with major retailers and licensed IP holders.
These programs swap standard currency in tills for themed coins, aiming to lift foot traffic and drive commercial revenue for the mint, one of the few government-owned businesses that runs without budget funding.
The mint has worked with Woolworths, Australia Post, rebel and others on 26 programs since 2016.
These range from the AFL and NRL to Bluey and The Great Aussie Coin Hunt, which pushed Australians back to cash for a moment of in-store treasure hunting. The mint says the model has delivered national exposure and strong sales of premium packaged products.
In 2020 the mint partnered with Saatchi & Saatchi Melbourne on the Donation Dollar promotion, the world’s first legal tender currency designed to be donated.
The tender documents outline the agency partner will need retail experience and the ability to pull together IP, creative and a media plan.
The target audiences are two segments, untapped collectors aged 25–54 and prospects, aged 18–44, who show interest when themes involve sport, pop culture or nostalgia.
Both groups have limited engagement with the Mint and are seen as growth opportunities.
Agencies will need to design a full national program with retailer and licence partners, plus a repeatable model for future use. Compliance requirements include legal tender design rules, accessibility standards and the Commonwealth Supplier Code of Conduct.
The mint positions the B2B programs as low-risk for retailers because themed coins replace normal till stock.
Retailers become exclusive destinations for the limited coins, which the Mint says can increase store visits.
Past activity shows the mint expects a broad mix of media, including TV, radio, social, PR and in-store activations.
The 2025 Women’s Weekly Children’s Birthday Cake Book program, for example, included Sunrise weather crosses, a Morning Show segment and a national launch, generating more than $2 million in earned coverage.
The brief will interest agencies with integrated retail capability, licensing experience and the ability to handle tight Commonwealth conditions.
It also sits in familiar territory for shopper and experiential agencies used to building large-scale national promotions for supermarkets, post offices and specialty chains.
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