Oh the media times, they are a-changin’, writes Sam Buchanan, CEO of the Independent Media Agencies of Australia. Here’s why he thinks the shifting sands of media buying have been important — but not the only reason — why indie media shops are getting more love than ever.
Since the Independent Media Agencies of Australia’s (IMAA) inception in 2020, our mission has been to raise the profile of the independent media agency sector nationally, promoting the benefit of working with indies and their value in the broader media landscape.
It’s a mission that we’ve undertaken with vigour — and that we’ve delivered, with thanks (in no small part!) to the dozens of indie agencies who have showcased their dominance, their value and their competitive edge in the Australian media industry.
But there’s more to it.
The shifting sands in the media landscape have seen indies prosper – as the playing field continues to be levelled. The traditional “buying power” of large agencies is going or even now gone. The vast majority of media is traded programmatically and “group deals” are viewed with greater suspicion by clients and certainly no longer required to demonstrate client success.
In addition, media accreditation is easy, and there has been democratisation of data with tools available and accessible to all, especially due to the IMAA’s 50-strong group deals on everything from data platforms, research, software, media measurement, AI and automation, allowing indie agencies to better compete — and win — business.
And while the IMAA advocates for the sector, a bigger reason indies are over delivering is their organisational agility — an agency-wide skill that has become incredibly important to clients in the ever-evolving media landscape and the changing needs of businesses to capture consumer attention and maintain growth. I’ll come to this shortly.
Over the past 12 months alone, Australian independent media agencies have won more than 100 major clients, often beating out incumbents and multinationals.
The indies now have a true seat at the table — and they’re in demand.
More and more, big brand CMOs are choosing to work with independent media agencies because of their unique offering, particularly their customised solutions — and their agility.
Independent media agencies are renowned for their bespoke, personalised solutions and hands-on approach to business. Many indies are owned and operated by experienced, senior industry experts with decades of experience, meaning clients have access to senior-level, hands on advice on a daily basis, and who are not, like others, removed from the day-to-day and who are more than willing to roll their sleeves up. Agency staff become an extension of a brand’s broader marketing team and work directly with companies to deliver creative, innovative, and effective solutions. There’s no “one size fits all” approach – teams work hand-in-glove with brands to develop marketing strategies that focus on ROI and business outcomes.
And it’s the “real time” agility of indies that also gives them a competitive advantage. Indie agencies have unparalleled organisational agility, making them dynamic, nimble and resourceful – in stark contrast to larger legacy agencies.
And although indie agencies have been doing this for some time, organisational agility has become the business buzzword of the moment.
According to McKinsey, organisational agility is built around structure, process and people – and that’s where indies shine. McKinsey points out that ‘agility is the ability of an organisation to renew itself, adapt, change quickly, and succeed in a rapidly changing, ambiguous, turbulent environment.’ Agility is not incompatible with stability — quite the contrary. Agility requires stability and indie agencies have both.
Independent media agencies have an agile mindset and are founded on fluidity and responsiveness, processes that are focused on nimbleness and efficiency, and a people-centric culture that makes them desirable places to work.
Conversely, larger agencies are bogged down in hierarchies and structure, rules and processes, when what is required by clients is less structure, less processes, less bureaucracy.
IMD (International Institute for Management Development) notes that business agility is critical to enhancing innovation and creating an environment that is conducive to experimentation. The nation’s independent media sector is leading the way for creativity and new product development. It’s this sense of daring, of fearlessness, of being willing to test and learn that is resonating with clients.
Indies with organisational agility shine in their ability to be fast-moving and responsive, in the face of rapidly changing trends. Due to their size and structure, indie agencies are able to respond to market shifts quickly and pivot their strategies accordingly — often in real-time. Their ability to adapt puts them ahead of bigger, more established companies – businesses that are bogged down in rigidity and bureaucracy, and simply fail to cope with the speed and efficiency required in today’s market.
But it’s not just agility that indies are renowned for, it is also finger-on-the-pulse intelligence, commitment to the true business successes of their client partners and the focused pool they attract.
We’re firmly living in the era of the indies — and a new-look Australian media industry where agility will be the cost of doing business.
