Aussie Independent Media Agencies Celebrate Big Wins

Independent media agencies across Australia have recorded a bumper first half of 2023 with a swag of new, major client wins, as brands nationwide continue to recognise the value of working with indie, locally owned agencies.

Independent Media Agencies of Australia (IMAA), the national, not-for-profit industry association for the independent media agency industry, has gathered more than 20 major new account wins for its independent media agency members across the country – many won from multinational agencies, following competitive pitch processes.

The wins include:

• Air Asia – This Is Flow

• Australian Institute of Company Directors – 3 Forward

• Blacktown City Council – Murmur

• Chery Motors Australia – Awaken

• Cure Cancer – The Media Store

• Ecosa Bedding – Half Dome

• IMC Toys – The Advertising Room

• Luka dog food – Alchemy One

• Lululemon Australia – Murmur

• Methodist Ladies College – The Advertising Room

• Nectr energy – Half Dome

• Reece – Hatched

• Riparide – The Pistol

• Sanitarium – Connected

• The University of Sydney – Yango

• Thirsty Camel – Hot Glue

• Travel Texas – The Media Store

• Trek – Pivotus

• Venroy – Intentional

• Vitasoy – The Pistol

• a2 milk – This Is Flow

University of Sydney, head of brand and content, Pia McMorran, said the university opted to partner with an independent agency for the past few years for the value-add provided. “We have spent years working with Yango, as they have taken the time to really get to know our business. We see them as an extension of our team – they provide so much more value than just recommendations on paid media,” she said.

“By multinational standards, we don’t spend a lot of money, so at a big agency, we would be a small fish in a big pond. At an indie agency, you are much more important to the bottom line and are resourced accordingly. Plus, you get direct access to agency leadership, and indie agencies really look after their staff, so there’s generally less churn on the account.”

Chery Motors Australia, brand manager, Andrew Haurissa, said: “We are thrilled to be working with the Awaken team. From the start of the pitch process, we were immediately impressed with Awaken’s use of data and AI in all areas of strategy, planning implementation and reporting – it was analogous with how we operate as a brand and a business. Additionally, we were impressed with the strength of the Awaken team, particularly their creative and strategy skills.

“As an iconic Chinese brand looking to launch in Australia, we needed to partner with an agency that demonstrated a deep understanding of the local market – we have found that with Awaken.”

Vitasoy, general manager, Marketing and Strategy, Nick Bartram said: “We are very excited to welcome ‘The Pistol’ to the Vitasoy family. We were extremely impressed with the strategic thinking, data capability and creative ideas The Pistol brought to the table, and their team’s dedication to and belief in our business is already evident. We can’t wait to partner together and continue our mission to grow a better world in 2023.”

IMAA CEO, Sam Buchanan, said the recent wins demonstrate the increasing client appetite for the indie agency offering. “It’s wonderful to see indie agencies winning some major, national accounts, particularly in competitive pitches against larger, multinational agencies. It’s a testament to the increasingly strong position of the indies in the industry – we’ve made huge strides in levelling the playing field for independent agencies and they’re really gaining ground, particularly with larger clients,” he said.

“If these results are anything to go by, I have no doubt 2023 will be another growth year for indies across Australia, as brands continue to see the significant value of working with independent agencies.”

Since its establishment, the IMAA has grown to more than 160 members nationwide, plus 40 media partners and four industry association partners. This year, it launched the IMAA Academy – a unique, online learning course, designed to educate agency talent on the foundations of media.

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