The independent, BCM Group has launched earned media agency IVY, led by former McCann Worldgroup (The Red Republic) leadership duo Mia Hamilton and Emma Bedsor.
With offices in Sydney and Brisbane, IVY will offer an integrated mix of services including PR, social media, influencer engagement, events and activations, complementing BCM’s existing media, digital and creative offering.
Having worked alongside each other for close to a decade, Hamilton and Bedsor have developed a passionate view on earned media’s potential to play a leading role in the marketing mix, when combined with strategy, creative and media smarts.
Co-managing director, Mia Hamilton, said: “Emma and I have wanted to shape an agency like IVY for some time and the independence, freedom and autonomy inherent to BCM Group, has provided the perfect environment for us to do so.”
“The irony is that PR has an image problem and we want to be a brand that helps counter that. Earned media doesn’t just come from a press release, it can begin with a TVC, a social media post, or a clever search campaign.
“Brand love needs to be earned and any material that connects a brand to consumers in a memorable, or meaningful way, will naturally find its way into the press and eventually the public vernacular. We work with creative and strategy departments to reverse engineer that process.”
Co-managing director, Emma Bedsor, said: “Too often we see press office agencies ticking boxes, and working in silos.
“Working with a broader agency group like BCM is absolutely key to developing the kind of creatively persuasive campaigns that move the needle on consumer sentiment for brands.
“BCM is one of Australia’s top independents, and is truly integrated, which is a refreshing proposition. The reality is, PR is not always the answer. And we’re enjoying being able to deliver our clients a truly diverse range of solutions including digital, performance and media.”
Partner and managing director, BCM Group, Phil McDonald, said: “Being able to create ideas that use both earned and paid media in tandem, makes them bigger and way more effective in a fragmented media landscape.
“This expansion of our Group and a more considered move into the Sydney market is incredibly exciting. On top of that Mia and Emma are both wonderfully talented which is a huge bonus.”
