HERO

If the team isn’t unwinding over a chicken parmi and a cold drink in the beer garden at Prahran’s the Flying Duck, it’s hard at work delivering campaigns for a growing roster of clients.

HERO works with brands including Toyota, Mastercard, L’Oréal and Bakers Delight. It services these clients, and more, as a fully hybrid agency, giving its staff the flexibility to choose where they work.

That approach is intentional. As creative chairman Ben Lilly puts it, “The team does their best work when they have the flexibility to choose where and how works best for them.”

It’s an approach that appears to be paying off for the agency.

HERO entered 2025 with a clear focus on growth and delivered on it in a big way. The agency secured four significant client extensions, with ENGIE and Bakers Delight retaining HERO as lead creative agency.  Meanwhile, Microsoft extended the agency’s digital and social marketing remit, and Brisbane City Council renewed HERO’s presence on its agency panel.

New business was another standout story. HERO landed a whopping 15 new clients across the year, including becoming the lead creative agency for Commonwealth Super and the Queensland Council of Social Service (QCOSS), along with producing creative work for DHL and creating the summer fire campaign for NSW Rural Fire Service. The new clients represent a strong result that highlights the agency’s momentum in a competitive market.

That momentum was also recognised by the industry, with HERO collecting several award wins throughout 2025, including winning four gongs at the 2025 WINA (World Independent Advertising) Awards, taking home one Grand Prix, one Gold, one Silver, and one Bronze. HERO was the first Australian agency in WINA history to break into the global Top 10, ranking sixth overall and earning the title of Australian Agency of the Year.

The agency also took home two major trophies at Spikes 2025, winning Silver in the Digital Craft – AI Storytelling category for Fujifilm instax’s ‘Mindography’ campaign and a Bronze in Brand Experience & Activation – Integrated Campaign for the Toyota C-HR Diamond Collection.

It wasn’t a year without challenges, however. HERO lost its work for home building firm Metricon during 2025. It was responsible for Metricon’s studio and retail marketing services, including physical and digital display home signage, property branding and broader studio support.

Even so, with a healthy pipeline of new business, major client extensions and industry recognition, HERO finished the year with far more wins than losses—and plenty of reasons to celebrate, perhaps over another Flying Duck parmi or two!