2025 AGENCY SCORECARDS
starcom
Team PROFILE
Agency type
media agency
Ownership
publicis groupe
tagline
Move People, Move Business
LEADERSHIP TEAM
Nick Keenan
TEAM CAPTAIN (departed Oct ‘24)
Louise Romeo
Chief Operating Officer
Scott McCaffrey
Chief Client Officer (appointed 2024)
Jacqui Purcell
Head of Planning (appointed 2024)
Mark Duffy
Head of Digital & Solutions
Rebecca Weatherall
Head of People and Culture
Paul Hartley
Finance Director
KEY STATS
offices
Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide
HEADCOUNT
100+
gender balance
male 40%, female 57%, non-binary 3%. Leadership: male 50%, female 50%.
CLIENT WINS
3
CLIENT RETENTIONS
1
recma compitches
b
recma profile classification
good
LARGEST CLIENTS
Procter & Gamble
tpg
subaru
B&T's season report
Starcom’s 2024 was solid but perhaps unremarkable. It successfully defended the Subaru account, worth somewhere in the order of $15 million, according to COMvergence, and won the local JD Sports account, worth just shy of $5 million.
It also won LEGO as part of a global pitch, and Ubisoft in a multi-country operation, worth nearly $15 million together.
There were a few big changes with Starcom’s top order, with CEO Nick Keenan departing in October 2024. He was replaced in July ‘25 by Matt Houltham. Scott McCaffrey was appointed as the agency’s chief client and growth officer in May ‘24, while Jacqui Purcell was promoted to national head of planning.
The season would also see Starcom localise and embed its global positioning: ‘Move People, Move Business’. The agency said it creates a unified approach to its business and will drive its operations and priorities moving forwards.
Starcom made pains to invest in up and coming talent. In 2024 it supported more than 50 bespoke training sessions through its Starcom Academy, covering everything from omnichannel planning to retail media and data and identity.
It also updated its craft-specific sessions to include commercial training, and refreshed its ‘Art of Investment’ and ‘Art of Planning’ forums to create excitement around key agency capabilities. This work, together with its pro-bono efforts for the charity, HeartKids, saw Starcom named the second-happiest agency in Sydney, according to Media-i.
The agency also delivered more than 50 test-and-learns for clients and media partners, including one of the first APAC omnichannel tests with The Trade Desk. It notched other firsts, including 3D billboards for an alcohol client, and first-to-market convergence buying across TV and BVOD.
campaign HIGHLIGHTS REEL
Weber’s ‘Cricket Takeover’
Weber BBQs smashed it out of the park by creating their own ‘team’ of fans during Australia’s Big Bash League cricket season!
Instead of just slapping their logo on broadcasts, they dove right into cricket culture with on-ground Weber Q sampling stations, live trivia competitions, and special access to cricket stars Alana King and Alex Carey. The campaign connected multi-cultural food flavours with Australia’s summer sport obsession, and the results were sizzling hot!
Weber boosted consideration by double-digits among viewers and notably increased ownership with millennials – the audience they were targeting. By turning a traditional sports sponsorship into an integrated cultural moment, Weber became one of the top three
brands associated with cricket, among the ranks of sponsorship giants like KFC and Commonwealth Bank.
IGA’s ‘Christmas Chaos’
As a challenger supermarket brand, IGA strategically tackled Christmas shopping madness with mobile billboards that intercepted frazzled shoppers outside other supermarkets. With cheeky messages like ‘Skip the Christmas Chaos’ and ‘Christmas Chaos Rating’ gauges, these guerrilla marketing trucks and scooters positioned IGA as the calm, local alternative to holiday shopping.
The best part? This clever, cost-effective campaign delivered results – markedly boosting consideration, retail sales, and transactions in campaign areas. By catching shoppers in their most frustrated moments (gridlocked car parks and busy aisles) rather than through traditional pre-Christmas media, IGA positioned itself as the smart local choice, proving the best ideas don’t need big budgets – just perfect timing!
Air New Zealand’s Behavioural Science Search Strategy
Air New Zealand launched into the ‘Messy Middle’ of flight comparisons by injecting psychology into their search ads! Instead of just competing on price and routes, the airline used AI-powered behavioural science principles to reduce traveller anxiety and simplify choices. Their clever approach transformed boring search results into dynamic messages that addressed specific customer concerns at exactly the right moment.
The click-through rate soared, and bookings jumped significantly. By understanding exactly how travellers make decisions during the comparison phase, Air New Zealand cut through the crowded travel marketplace. The strategy was so successful that it’s now being rolled out across other international markets.
starcom's Analysis of 2024
Starcom Australia achieved strong success in 2024, driving continued momentum off the back of major new business wins, while retaining all existing clients.
The agency launched a new identity and global positioning, ‘Move People. Move Business’, with 2024 delivering the localisation of this ambition. A transformation that’s been embedded into every facet of the Starcom Australia business, this evolution touches everything we do – from client partnerships to capabilities, culture to commercial outcomes. This positioning has created a unified approach, driving our agency towards collective business success.
Additionally, our efforts have been industry recognised through RECMA, with the agency achieving the second highest Client Portfolio Growthand fourth-highest Relationship Stability with our Top 10 Clients.
Starcom Australia delivered leading innovation in digital acceleration, high talent happiness scores and made a significant contribution to the community through pro-bono support for several charities – laying the foundations to establish the business as an agency of the future.
mvp award
Robert Millett, Head of Digital, Starcom Melbourne
Rob is a true Starcom star, driving the agency’s digital ambition for clients through championing identity solutions, first-party data activation and upskilling the industry via his digital mentorship with the MFA.
B&T's agency score
Starcom 7.5
COACH's COMMENT:
Top order departures won’t have helped Starcom’s cause in ‘24 but it defended its wicket well, batting away suitors for Subaru and hitting a handful of pitches to the boundary.
