Melbourne Social Co has launched ATTN.CTRL, a new global attention agency designed to help brands navigate an increasingly fragmented media environment by shifting focus from channels directly to attention.
The launch marks the introduction of a second agency alongside Melbourne Social Co, built as a scalable model for today’s media landscape. ATTN.CTRL has been developed to enable separation of capability, strategic focus and international growth including in New York and London.
“ATTN.CTRL is the natural development of what we’ve built over the past 15 years. We’ve reached a point where attention, not channel, is the defining currency of effectiveness. This structure allows us to scale globally, while staying focused on delivering meaningful impact in an increasingly fragmented media landscape,” said Melbourne Social Co founder Shelley Friesen.
As part of the launch, ATTN.CTRL has made its first key appointment, welcoming Jess Randall as VP of global projects. Randall has joined from Adairs, where she served as marketing manager. Bringing extensive experience across campaign planning, brand architecture and large-scale marketing operations.
“Brands are competing for attention in more places than ever before. What attracted me to ATTN.CTRL is its focus on building strategies around how people actually engage today, rather than being confined by traditional channel thinking. Having worked with Shelley and the Melbourne Social Co team previously, I’ve seen first-hand the capability and rigour behind their approach, and I’m excited to bring that experience into ATTN.CTRL,” said Randall.
ATTN.CTRL aims to introduce a new strategic framework for modern marketing known as “attention architecture”. It reframes how brands plan, earn and sustain engagement in an environment defined by constant content competition and rapidly-shifting consumer behaviour.
At the core of the offering is a four-part approach, earn, hold, amplify and convert attention, designed to work across social, PR, paid media, influencer marketing, events and cultural moments. It will integrate channels into a unified system built around how audiences actually engage.
The launch comes as traditional agency models face increasing pressure to adapt.
ATTN.CTRL has built its reputation on delivering social-led campaigns ahead of the wider shift to “social first” marketing. With boots on the ground in Melbourne, Sydney, New York and London, the agency has positioned itself as a globally connected organisation designed to help brands earn, sustain and convert attention.
