2025 AGENCY SCORECARDS
UM
Team PROFILE
Agency type
media agency
Ownership
Interpublic Group
tagline
Full Colour Media
LEADERSHIP TEAM
Anathea Ruys
TEAM CAPTAIN
Raj Gupta
Chief Strategy & Growth Officer
Adam Krass
Chief Digital, Data and Technology Officer
Michael Mellington
National Head of Media Planning
Claire Monteilh
National Head of People and Culture
Brett Elliott
Managing Director, Sydney (left in 2025)
Adam Russell
Managing Director, melbourne
KEY STATS
offices
Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane & Canberra
HEADCOUNT
320
gender balance
Total: 32% male, 67% female, 1% non-binary. Leadership 50% male, 50% female.
CLIENT WINS
7
CLIENT RETENTIONS
2
recma compitches
B+
recma profile classification
good
LARGEST CLIENTS
Australian Federal Government
Optus
Kmart Group (Kmart & Target)
TROPHY CABINET
MFA Awards
2
Festival of Media
3
effies
4
B&T's season report
2024 was an important year for IPG Mediabrand’s largest agency, UM.
After losing the $64 million Nestlé media account in a regional review early doors, the agency was under pressure to retain Australia’s largest media account, the circa $190 million Federal Government Master Media Services account.
The protracted review process had captain Anathea Ruys and her leadership sweating until news broke in August that UM had held onto the business in a two-horse race with PHD.
UM backed this up by retaining Dyson ($30 million) and winning seven new clients, including Target, Chery Motors, Levi’s and the Australian National University.
The agency posted ‘good’ RECMA scores and was recognised twice at the number one media agency in B&T’s monthly New Business Rankings.
UM topped COMvergence’s New Business Barometer notching $164 million in billings. But when retentions are removed from its new business wins, UM was down by around $44 million.
New business aside, it was busy in the backroom, too. UM launched its ‘Full Colour Media’ market proposition, combining human and artificial intelligence, guided by “a nuanced understanding of how a brand operates within established category systems, connectivity with consumers and the brand’s true differentials”.
It also evolved the way it uses data, working with providers such as Mutinex to embed market mix modelling into the heart of planning to deliver better media decisions for clients.
UM’s focus on its playing roster included cultivating a more empathetic culture that goes beyond racial and gender boundaries, breaking down hierarchical structures within the agency.
It has made progress on its First Nations People Reconciliation Action Plan, working with The Field to improvise inclusion for people with disability and achieving Australian Workplace Equality Index Bronze certification for Pride in Diversity.
UM also performed admirably on the awards circuit, winning 12 campaign awards and three people categories, including Effie Awards for Tourism Australia and Seek.
It’s been a season of solid progress for UM, placing the agency in good stead ahead of the proposed Omnicom takeover of Interpublic in 2025.
campaign HIGHLIGHTS REEL
‘The Brewery of Meteorology’, Guinness
A campaign that leverages the connection between optimal Guinness drinking temperatures and Australia’s winter weather. It uses a weather-triggered platform and promotions to encourage Australians to enjoy a pint of Guinness during colder months. An innovative data-driven approach to create a new consumption occasion for the brand. The campaign won several awards, winning JCDecaux’s Programmatic Campaign of the Year and silverware for Best Use of Data and Best Use of OOH at the Festival of Media Awards.
‘The SEEKret’, SEEK
The campaign positioned SEEK’s matchmaking capabilities as powerful and unmissable, focusing on formats that establish new dominant memory structures – broadcast screens. This included outdoor, and integrations with Australian TV shows on Unmissable Mondays. The campaign overachieved all brand metrics and propelled the brand into a top 10 recognised brand in Australia. It scored an APAC Effie Award. The campaign overachieved all brand metrics and propelled the brand into a top 10 recognised brand in Australia. It scored an APAC Effie Award.
‘Did You Hear That’, Department of Health and Aged Care
This campaign wanted to disrupt the target audience’s attention by engaging them in a unique way and encouraging them to change their current behaviour. Media and digital audio were used to bring to life an existing government asset to the forefront for Australians with hearing difficulties. The campaign created a ‘theatre of the mind’ listening experiences, centred in environments where hearing is paramount. More than 3 million Australians frequently use Spotify. The campaign won two MFA Awards.
UM's Analysis of 2024
In 2024, UM Australia successfully launched a new agency proposition, Full Colour Media, to our people, our clients and our partners, won the largest media pitch of the year in Australia, the Australian Federal Government, evolved our product and ways of working through our proposition and Interact O/S, won seven new business pitches and retain two key clients, won awards, including key Effie awards and developed our people.
mvp award
Sarah Durrington, Head of Reporting & Operations, Government
A high performer with comprehensive industry knowledge and proven leadership skills recognised as UM’s 2024 CEO Person of the Year.
B&T's agency score
UM: 8
COACH's COMMENT:
UM held onto the biggest prize in Australian media and rolled out a new proposition with smarter processes and sharper thinking. A good performance.
