Laura Aldington, Simone Gupta and Jon Austin have announced the launch of Supermassive, an independent agency with an ambition to set a new benchmark in effective non-traditional advertising and earned media.
Aldington was previously CEO of Host/Havas, Gupta was CEO of Host/Havas PR and Austin was previously creative director at Host/Havas.
Aldington commented: “A study by the World Advertising Research Centre (WARC) of the 100 most effective campaigns concluded that ‘the most effective ads, all over the world, no longer look like ads. The top campaigns frequently used fame-building tactics, often built on a highly PR-able idea, with media in support; sociability, spin, salience and spectacle.
L to R: Laura Aldington, Simone Gupta & Jon Austin
She continued, “Supermassive’s mission is to partner with brands who share our belief that to be effective, they need to entertain more than interrupt; lean into popular culture and not compete with it; outsmart when they can’t outspend, and make people want things by making things they actually want. We combine disciplined brand strategy with deep earned expertise, and put it in the hands of a creative leader with an exceptional track record in this space.
Austin said: “91 per cent of people think advertising is more interruptive than ever. We want our ideas to exist and thrive where our audience do, in the forms they love. We want ideas that draw people in on their own terms, rather than pushing unwelcome into their lives. That’s not to say paid media doesn’t play a hugely important role in what we do, but we’re setting out to augment and amplify what goes into those channels so that our ideas can travel beyond their paid reach.”
Supermassive’s three founder’s collective output has been recognised at the Effies, Cannes, D&AD, LIAs, Clios, One Show and Spikes, and the local shows – most recently the highly awarded Crime Interrupted podcast for the Australian Federal Police, which became the 2nd most popular in the country.
Gupta added: “We’ve worked in agencies that broke convention, businesses with agility and imagination like Host, One Green Bean and Anomaly NYC, and we have massive respect for the indie agency scene in Australia.
“We share a reputation for creating inclusive and kind cultures, with agencies under our leadership frequently featuring on ‘Best Place to Work’ shortlists. Our black book is bursting with world class talent, creators and collaborators across music, tech, gaming, sport and entertainment, keeping us in lockstep with culture.
“We’re bringing all of this knowledge together to create a fresh operating model that builds bespoke teams around what a client needs, rather than serving them what we have,”
Aldington concluded, “Whilst it’s not relevant to our core proposition, we’re also proud to be one of Australia’s first majority female-founded creative agencies. Sim and I have both long advocated for gender equality in our industry, and with less than one per cent of agencies worldwide owned by women, it’s a privilege for us to be flying that flag at Supermassive.”
