Mediaweek has teamed up with the IMAA to give its indie leaders a platform to talk about their work, share their thoughts about the industry and their interests outside of their 9 to 5.
SPEED joined the industry body three years ago and Ian Perrin, Managing Partner of the agency discussed his team’s approach to pitching, revealed which indies he thinks are crushing it and his work with the Keep Talking initiative.
What sparked your interest in launching your indie agency?
I was disillusioned with the direction that media agencies were taking. It seemed to me that they were becoming resellers of inventory, rather than strategic partners solving communications problems. So, there was a massive gap in the market for a strategically driven agency, hellbent on solving problems through the innovative use of analytics.
What sets your agency and its offering apart from others?
We don’t really compete with traditional multi-national media agencies any more, as their business model is so different. Against the indie set we like to think our solutions are more strategic, data-oriented and tethered to business outcomes.
Indie agencies are increasingly seeing success with major pitches. What differentiates your pitch approach from that of larger agencies?
Indies are now setting the agenda in the industry as we all have senior talent working directly on clients and are therefore closer to what is happening in the world of marketing and media.
That’s not to say that there aren’t high quality large agencies, but their leadership is more focused on corporate politics, stakeholder management and legacy operations.
Who have been your latest Agency account wins?
KPMG, Lounge Lovers, Westfarmers Health, and Pet-O.
With 77% of indie agencies expecting ad spend to rise or remain stable in FY26, according to the IMAA Indie Census, how are you preparing for that growth?
Our number one priority right now is to integrate AI into our operations as quickly as we possibly can. Not set long term agendas and crow about new products but deliver practical everyday improvements for our clients.
What’s another indie agency that you see is crushing it and why? (Whether it’s work output, client relationships or culture/DE&I policies)
Avenue C in Sydney and Match and Wood in Melbourne because they are both great agencies, with respected leadership who are winning lots of business.
What’s a piece of work you’re most proud of?
A lot of the work we do is data-oriented, so it was great to do a big integration during Intimacy Week on MAFS for Palmers. Might sound old fashioned these days, but it worked its socks off!
As a leader, how do you switch off from work and unwind after a busy week?
I run and read a lot. I am also heavily involved in our Keep Talking initiative to get more people talking about mental health and suicide.
What does success look like for you over the next 12 months?
Improving the business results of each one of our clients.
What can the industry expect from your agency?
No award entries or victories, because we will be 100% focused on delivering business outcomes for our clients.
Top image: Ian Perrin