Dennis Merchant OAM, a pioneer of Australian independent media buying, passed away yesterday at age 82. Truly ahead of his time, Merchant started the first independent media buying agency in Australia in 1974.
Merchant and Partners was a powerhouse media business initially representing smaller indies that didn’t have the media scale or clout of some of the big global holding companies. The business was incredibly successful and attracted the best media talent at the time, such as Robbo (Alan Robertson) and a young Harold Mitchell, who left to go out on his own in Melbourne.
“A pioneer in the establishment of standalone media agencies, which flourish today in Australia. Their ongoing success can arguably be attributed to Dennis. He was undoubtedly Australia’s most respected and trusted media person at the time. A great man of immeasurable talent,” John Steedman, ex-WPP COO & Chairman of GroupM Asia Pacific/Australia, who worked with Dennis, told B&T.
“Dennis Merchant was a giant of the media industry of his time. He was a man of complete honesty, integrity, and passion for his family, friends, and the media business in which he made his name,” said Alan Robertson, former part-owner and CEO of Merchant and Partners Pty Ltd.
Merchant received an OAM in 1995 for his service to the advertising industry and was later inducted into the Advertising Hall of Fame in 2009.
Dennis will be remembered with words such as legend, pioneer, giant, and an all-around down-to-earth great bloke. The media world today mourns the passing of the godfather of independent media buying agencies.
