Page 47 - Adnews Magazine November-December 2021

Investigation
“A lot of my big clients are transforming with structural change because they've been disrupted. They know they've got to change. They've got something good so they're not broken.
“I think that's the challenge of the modern economy; these organisa- tions aren't bad organisations — they're great, but they've got new noise. They're trying to do what they do every day and be someone new, and that complexity of being someone new and old and how they navigate through that is really important.”
Mat Nunn, founder of Nunn Media, is predicting more growth in 2022: “We also had some great growth this year in tough times. I think that's probably the sign of a business that's tracking really well.
“I think for us it gets back to people. We are all about the people. We invest in them. We value our relationships with the media. We don't burn them. We make long-term decisions, not short-term decisions.
“We stuck behind our staff, we didn't make any redundancies, and we supported everybody. We had some clients who were affected and some clients who actually thrived — a little bit of a mixed bag.
“We had multiple new business wins across that period, including the likes of some really good clients that we absolutely love partnering with such as Bendigo Bank and Haval, the big Chinese car company.
“But at the same, from an agency point of view, it's pretty difficult to operate where you're used to being next to everybody.
“Something we are really strong on is culture and family and it just makes it really hard when these people are not in your space every day.
“That's been challenging for all agencies and service-based industries.”
Jack Watts, global CEO of independent Bastion: “Looking back, March of 2020 was one of the defining moments in the 12-year history of Bastion. We set a plan quickly and we have stuck to it ever since. That plan was to make difficult decisions early, and then accelerate out hard as the multinational agencies were still waiting for someone in London or Paris to tell them what to do. And that is exactly how it has played out.
“Since June of 2020, our business has been experiencing unparalleled growth as we continue to grow existing, and win new major accounts by providing clients access to wide thinking across the breadth of communications services, combined with deep expertise.
“After more than a decade of being under-serviced by multinational agencies, it's clear clients now want independence, but they want it at scale. With the acquisition of Bastion Shine in New Zealand, that’s what we pro- vide: 300+ staff across Australia, NZ and the US who work collaboratively across a diversity of thinking solely for the benefit of the client.
“This makes Bastion the largest independent ever in Australasia and one of the biggest independents in the world. We are one step closer to building the New World Agency, the disruptive force in the agency landscape, globally.”
Yaron Farizon, CEO MediaCom: “I personally have experienced two countries come out of lockdowns, both Russia and Israel, and the recovery is faster than everyone thinks. I can feel the social anxiety and worry that we won’t return to normal, but two weeks post-lockdowns and things felt normal quickly. Cinemas were back, traffic jams and foot traffic in the cities were back. Brands were back. Advertising dollars were back. Things are bouncing back faster than we expect.
“Don’t think and don’t plan for a sleepy 2022, I know from experience it’s going to be big.
“Our clients have justifiably high expectations for 2022 for it to be a great and memorable year. So many new and exciting opportunities for brands, publishers and agencies.
“2022 brings with it the stability and renewed passion for life everyone has been waiting for. Audiences will be out and about and excited; there is going to be a new energy in the air. We have seen it across the world — emerging post-pandemic, people want to celebrate freedom, while some of their habits and behaviours have been modified and adjusted.
“I believe agencies have a unique opportunity to think about how they take advantage of this energy, how they replan the advertisers’
“Don’t plan for a sleepy 2022,
I know from experience it’s going to be big.”
Yaron Farizon,
CEO, MediaCom ANZ
Australian Government campaign from BMF.
www.adnews.com.au | November-December2021 47