IMAA Agencies Celebrate Bumper 2023 With 100+ Major Client Wins

It’s been a remarkable year of growth for independent media agencies across the nation, with indie agencies notching up a record number of client wins in 2023, along with dozens of retained accounts.

Lead Image: IMAA CEO, Sam Buchanan.

Independent Media Agencies of Australia (IMAA), the national, not-for-profit industry association for the independent media agency industry, has canvassed some of its 160+ members and found that indie agencies have won more than 100 major new clients across the country – many won from multinational agencies, following competitive pitch processes.

Australian independent media agencies are now representing some of the nation’s most beloved brands, including Sanitarium, Peters Ice Cream, Forty Winks, Vitasoy and The Iconic, demonstrating the strong position of indie agencies nationwide.

The wins include:

• About Time We Met – The Media Store
• Air Asia – This Is Flow
• Amused Group (media) – Noisy Beast
• Alphacrusis – Pivotus
• AON Human Capital – Connected
• Australian Geographic – Connected
• Australian Institute of Company Directors – 3Forward
• BFWG – Hatched
• Biozet – Media Republic
• Blacktown City Council – Murmur
• Bond-eye Swimwear – Wired Co
• Booktopia – Hatched
• Braun – g squared
• Capilano – Slingshot
• Catholic Education Department – Mentor Marketing
• CBRE – Admatic
• Century21 – Admatic
• Circles Life – Assembled
• Clear Skin Care – Speed
• Contour Clinics – Wired Co
• Cure Cancer – The Media Store
• Dementia Training Australia – Admatic
• Ecosa – Half Dome
• Edgewell – Wired Co
• Elmo – Speed
• Ella Bache – g squared
• Emprise Group – Assembled
• Equalution – Connected
• Exceptional ALIEN (performance marketing account) – Intender
• Forty Winks – Hatched
• Fjallraven – Wired Co
• Forbes – Connected
• Gallagher – Media Republic
• Get Skilled Access (digital account) – Noisy Beast
• Georg Jensen Taiwan – Wired Co
• Giant Bicycles – G Squared
• GMHBA and Frank Health Insurance – Half Dome
• Golf Australia – Assembled
• GPT Group – Hatched
• Gumtree – g squared
• Hartmann’s (MoliCare) – Assembled
• Hamilton Australia (Sydney return season) – Slingshot
• Homey – Wired Co
• iHEAR national hearing (performance marketing account) – Intender
• IMC Toys – AdRoom
• Inchcape – Admatic
• Indigo Solutions – Mentor Marketing
• Inghams – Slingshot
• iPrimus (creative account) – Noisy Beast
• Investsmart – Speed
• Jaycar – Bench Media
• KIA – Advertising Associates
• LDV – Speed
• Luka dog food – Alchemy One
• Lululemon Australia – Murmur
• Lumi (brand, media, digital accounts) – Noisy Beast
• Maserati New Zealand – 3Forward
• Melbourne Racing Club – Half Dome
• Meriton Suites – g squared
• Metricon QLD – Pivotus
• Methodist Ladies College – The Advertising Room
• Motopool – Pivotus
• Nectr – Half Dome
• Nuix – g Squared
• Pepperstone (media strategy/buying/planning account) – Media Republic
• Petit Bateau – Assembled
• Peters Ice Cream – Wired Co
• PharmaCare – g squared
• Q-Ctrl Quantum Computing (performance marketing account) – Intender
• QV1 – Mentor Marketing
• Red Bull – Wired Co
• Red Tractor – Assembled
• Reece – Hatched
• Riparide – The Pistol
• Sanitarium (digital account) – Connected
• Sea Level Swimwear – Wired Co
• ShineOn – Admatic
• SMAI – Connected
• SmarTrike – AdRoom
• SpaceTalk (SEO & owned media account) – Intender
• Standards Australia – Slingshot
• Stacks – Speed
• Sport 4 All (digital) – Noisy Beast
• TBH Skincare – Hatched
• The Iconic – Wired Co
• The Tax Institute – g squared
• The University of Sydney – Yango
• Thirsty Camel – Hot Glue
• Travel Texas – The Media Store
• Trek Bikes – Pivotus
• Victoria University (creative & social account) – Noisy Beast
• Visit Mudgee – g Squared
• Vitasoy – Half Dome
• Wesley Mission QLD – 3Forward
• William Buck – g squared
• Who Gives A Crap – Hatched
• Wynstan Blinds – g squared
• Xero Singapore (media account) – Noisy Beast
• ZircoDATA – The Media Store.

Many Australian independent agencies also retained several major accounts in 2023, including Suzuki Australia (Noisy Beast), Energy Australia (Intender), Mitsubishi Electric and Mirvac (g squared), and Maserati Australia (3Forward), among others. Independent agencies also recorded expanded remits for many clients, including Wired Co, which added SEO to its work for client R.M. Williams and paid search to its partnership with Georg Jensen Australia.

IMAA CEO, Sam Buchanan, said the sheer number of new client wins in 2023 showed the growing dominance of the indie agency sector. “This year has been one of the most successful growth periods for independent agencies across Australia. To see new client wins in triple figures for the past 12 months shows the ever-increasing appetite for independent agencies nationally. Clients across all verticals and sizes, including some of Australia’s leading brands, are seeking out partnerships with independent agencies, because of their ability to deliver”.

“The huge number of client wins and the strong retention rate across the sector is a testament to the work of our members and the IMAA, in levelling the playing field and bringing awareness to the sector nationally”.

“If this year’s results are anything to go by, I am certain we are heading into another bumper year in 2024 – I’m excited to see the indies continue to gain ground across Australia.”

Since its inception in 2022, the IMAA has grown to more than 160 members nationwide, along with 40 media partners and four industry associations. This year, it launched the ground-breaking IMAA Academy, a unique, online learning course, designed to educate agency talent on the foundations of media, along with its Female Leaders of Tomorrow mentoring programme.