Connected brilliance

2016 saw Brandworld continue to evolve its offer from what was once a purely television centric business to a business which now produces video storytelling across many screens. The company made some creative leadership changes which helped it create and make smarter, better and measurably successful work. Results were above budget and forecast.

2016 was a year of growth. The agency started 2016 with 108 staff in Melbourne and finished the year with 263 staff across Melbourne and Sydney. They created several new offers including a data-driven media unit which grew billings to $36 million in its first year. Ask their leadership about their growth and they’ll tell you they’re just getting started.

The 1Mazda team at CHE Proximity had three challenges in 2016: to grow their digital capabilities and become the main digital agency of record for Mazda Australia, to recruit the very best team to develop, design and build a new mazda.com.au platform, and improve their creative product. All were achieved and Mazda achieved a record 118,000 sales.

Clemenger BBDO Brisbane dominated the domestic market in 2016 and they won both the AdNews and B&T Queensland State Agency of the Year awards under the leadership of new Managing Director, Rob Hudson. They settled in their new new flagship account, RACQ, as well as winning TransLink and Boating, Camping Fishing (BCF).

The agency had a stellar year, creatively, with internationally recognised campaigns including TAC’s ‘Graham’, Snickers’ ‘Hungerithm’ and Bonds’ ‘The Boys.’ They performed well in new business and in between winning awards and pitching, they also continued to ambitiously and aggressively evolve from a great agency to a modern communications partner.

Emily Perrett moved into the Managing Director role and Paul Nagy vacated the Executive Creative Director role and was replaced by Ben Coulson, former COO of Y&R Australia and New Zealand. The agency produced some outstanding work including Masterfoods Make Dinnertime Matter, which has been viewed 108 million times globally. They also had a strong year of new business wins.

In 2016, Clemenger BBDO Wellington was ranked number three in New Zealand by Campaign Brief and had another strong awards return including winning a Cyber Gold Lion and two golds at London’s IPA Awards for their work on NZTA. It has grown the complexity of its creative work, and is servicing a broader range of clients with improved client engagement. In 2017 Touchcast merged with Clemenger BBDO to enhance the agency's digital capabilities.

A phenomenal year. Winning a slew of awards including being rated the world’s most creative agency by The Directory Big Won. Their campaign for DB Export Brewtroleum became one of the world’s most awarded campaigns, ever. A strong year of organic growth and new business wins resulted in revenue growth for the fifth consecutive year.

Creative Activation had a record year of new business, winning several new clients including Vodafone, News Corp and Woolworths. Peter Tait was promoted to General Manager and Natalie Hughes to Operations Director, with both also joining the Senior Leadership Team. They also celebrated the 25th year of Executive Chairman, Bruno Maurel.

While the bulk of what eg+ does is in conventional print-style work, in 2016 it continued to grow its digital offer and capabilities. This helped them win additional projects from key client NAB and they also picked up some new client assignments, including Australia Post. Remarkably, in 2016, eg+ produced a record 12,188 individual jobs.

GRACosway continued to provide public affairs and communications advice to many high profile companies across the agriculture, retail, chemical, financial services, mining, pharmaceuticals and professional services sectors. In the West, longstanding employee Jason Marocchi became Managing Director, as Paul Everingham stepped aside.

One of Australia’s leading research-based consultancies, HPOM had a busy year looking after more than 70 clients, many from state and federal government. They also worked on a number of projects in the social marketing space including domestic violence, anxiety and depression, cycling safety and cancer.

After disentangling itself from its partnership with sister agency 99, justONE relocated and reformed itself as an independent business. After a slow start to the year, it came home strongly with significant new business wins and a stellar showing at the NZ DM awards where client Foodstuffs won Direct Marketing Organisation of the Year.

Amid a slightly unstable environment brought on by the end of Australia’s ‘mining boom’, WA-based Marketforce spent 2016 focused on winning new business, cutting costs and building their digital offer. They won several new clients including Lotterywest, the WA Electoral Commission and the Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority.

With almost half the agency’s revenue in and around Government, 2016 proved challenging with Australia’s six month election campaign stalling projects. That said, the agency went hunting elsewhere and they secured $2m in new business wins and produced a wide range of interesting work.

In 2016 PN Sydney’s focus was on broadening its offer to have capabilities in integrated communications strategy, creative consumer PR, corporate communications, media relations, influencer relations, social and digital media and event management. This focus saw them have year-on-year revenue growth of 25%.

The agency made a conscious decision to push themselves and their clients creatively and they focused their internal training and development around this aim. As a result, they have produced some great work receiving some pleasing award wins. The agency also recorded its third consecutive year of solid, sustainable and profitable growth.

Quantum had a good year. They set themselves the objective of doing richer strategic work, founded in research and aligned with their deep understanding of cultural trends - which is largely informed by their ongoing AustraliaScan studies. Their clients liked the change. The agency won business. And revenue and profit increased.

Australia’s leading rural and regional communications specialist, Redhanded, spent 2016 broadening its focus beyond the farm gate to the more expansive proposition of ‘farm, food, health and lifestyle.’ The agency had several new business wins and to add to a busy year it moved from Richmond, settling into new premises at St Kilda Road.

Traffik’s major focus in 2016 was to establish its ‘shopper offer.’ As a result, they secured a bag of new clients including powerhouse brands Colgate, Campbell Arnott’s, Frucor and Diageo Australia. They were named B&T’s Experiential Agency of the Year and won Experiential Campaign of the Year at the AC&E awards for eBay virtual reality department store.

TKT (The Kitchen Table) Sydney was established in April 2015 and in 2016, under the leadership of Cate Stuart-Robertson, it cemented itself as a dynamic creative consultancy. Its output included high profile work for V, Arnott’s Shapes and Campbell’s Simply Soup. They also added Frucor as a client and took over global responsibilities for the Tim Tam portfolio.

2016 was a watershed year for Raydar, establishing itself as New Zealand’s leading Shopper Marketing agency. The business had its most successful year ever with +25% revenue growth and a 21% increase in profit.

Paul Manning took over as Managing Director in January and is leading the agency toward a bold, new vision to become a world-class customer experience agency with retail at its heart. Several new service capabilities have been established within digital and eCRM and the agency had a good year in new business ensuring it finished on target.