Independent Media Agencies of Australia (IMAA) is addressing the talent crisis head on with a world first trade advertising campaign selling the appealing Aussie lifestyle to British media agency talent looking to expand their experience overseas.
The trade campaign, which launches in the UK this week, features a video interviewing a range of British ex-pats working at Australian independent media agencies and why they love working here.
The IMAA website will have a dedicated landing page for Brits looking to make the move to Australia with several in-depth interviews with ex-pats on their move here, what they like about Australia and why they love working in independent media agencies here.
British media agency staff are able to register their interest via the website and will be matched with an IMAA member agency to make the move.
Sue Cant, a British ex-pat who has lived in Australia since 2015 and is Head of Media at AFFINITY, says in the video: “I mean what is there not to enjoy? The food, the wineries, the beaches – it’s just such a good way of life here as well.”
Sarah Melrose, managing partner at Admatic Australia, arrived in Australia seven years ago. “For me the motivating factor was very much the lifestyle. Working in London was very busy, chaotic, stuck on the Tube most mornings, whereas now my morning commute is down to the beach and back to work from home or I run to work…It’s very much work to live and not live to work,” she said.
IMAA CEO, Sam Buchanan, said: “The latest IMAA Pulse Survey found that almost 60 per cent of members expect to grow between 10 per cent and 20 per cent and more this year, however more than half said that the quality and depth of the talent pool is still poor. This is one of our major initiatives to address the talent shortage and attract skilled staff to indie agencies, along with British media agency executives who have worked here but returned to the UK during COVID. Of course, our priority is to support
Australian employment opportunities so we will also be launching a major education initiative shortly that aims to nurture the next generation of Australians who want to work in media agencies.
“Independent media agencies are among the most innovative in the world and primed for growth, so the time to take the plunge – from Bondi to Burleigh, St Kilda and Glenelg to Cottesloe – is now!”
The IMAA Academy will launch next month and is a certified agency staff education and training program to help university and school leavers looking to work in the media industry.
The IMAA grew to almost 150 members in 2022 and launched a raft of initiatives, including its Diversity & Inclusion Council; Project Earth and several partnerships for a more sustainable industry; more than 30 group deals, ranging from insurance to research, data and insights for members to access; and a range of partner events including Audio Unlimited and Digital Deep Dive. The IMAA was also successful in achieving the first stage of its Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) and a partnership with King’s Narrative to improve the lives of Aboriginal people.
