Edge Agency was established in 2003 and started as a custom publishing business, making magazines and content for magazines.
The agency eventually shifted its focus from magazines to the online space and digital content marketing, followed by social media and video content expansions. Six years ago, the agency launched its media team.
Managing partner Richard Parker spoke to Mediaweek about the Edge Agency’s nimble approach with clients, the benefits of a flat hierarchy and what being part of the IMAA means to their business.
Parker noted that as Edge Agency evolved, they wanted to have the entire consumer acquisition funnel offering. The agency bought a small creative agency, hired an executive creative director, and built a creative offering into the business with a focus on: “connecting our creative and our content to consumers, and we’ve had incredible success with it.”
Having a flat hierarchy and building a digital-focused future
The managing partner said that Edge Agency had the benefit of being able to “design and build their media offering from the ground up as a very modern media agency,” unlike legacy media businesses or agencies with siloed teams.
Parker said they make sure to hire multidisciplinary media people who understand offline, online, and direct response, who can be hands-on but also stretch into strategy and planning if required.
The managing partner said that Edge Agency had made several graduate hires and trained employees across different disciplines to work across them.
“That means we’ve got quite a flat hierarchy; we don’t have double handling within our media accounts. Our media clients don’t have to speak to three different people; they’re dealing with one person. It’s leaner, cost-efficient, and more responsive. That’s a huge advantage for our clients,” he said.
Parker explained that the team – across design, creative and strategy – all work near each other, giving team members direct and easy access to creatives and designers, meaning they can be more efficient.
The managing partner explained: “The head of media, Ryan Johnston, can turn around and talk to one of our designers if he’s got a query about how a piece of artwork might be put together; he can turn around, ask that question and get an answer straight away.”
Parker also noted that Edge Agency is building around a digital future. “We’ve been conscious that the future of media buying is going to be digital.”
“This idea of having an offline and online split is weird when you can buy TV and outdoor programmatically. We’re tooling around being a digitally focused buying agency and having a multidisciplinary approach,” Parker added.
Parker on his dual role and the agency’s growth
Parker explained that he has a dual role in media and creative strategy. He is one of four managing partners and is the executive planning director, overseeing the agency’s strategy team and media team alongside the head of media, Johnston.
Edge’s media team of six has seen rapid growth with a range of new client wins over the past six months, according to Parker. Their new client wins include Seagrass Boutique Hospitality Group – whose restaurant brands include 6HEAD, Meat & Wine Co., Ribs & Burgers, R&B Grillhouse and Italian Street Kitchen – Steadfast Group and Auto One.
“I think they’ve all been attracted to our nimble approach, flat hierarchy and ability to turn things around really quickly for them,” Parker said of the clients that choose Edge.
The managing partner noted that Edge Agency is an agency ideal for businesses looking to spend $5 million or less on media. “We’re not talking to the top end of town; we’re talking to businesses that know that they get a little bit lost in a multinational, that wouldn’t necessarily get the kind of love and attention they need,” he said.
Parker explained that with Edge Agency, clients know they will talk to one person responsible for their account without siloed thinking. He said: “For businesses with small and medium budgets, that’s absolutely what they want. They don’t want to think their small budget is being carved up in three or four different ways, and then they’ve got to speak to three or four people who aren’t speaking to each other,” he added.
Roaring back into 2021 after the pandemic
As an integrated agency with creative content and connections, Parker said that the pandemic was not much of a challenge and noted that they experienced a slight downturn from a couple of clients.
The managing partner said most of their media clients continued to spend, some at a reduced budget but not enough to impact the business. “To be honest, we weathered the pandemic very well. There was initially a bit of a downturn in 2020, but then we started roaring back in 2021,” he added.
Edge Agency is expected to have further growth this year after Parker shared that they successfully pitched for the Hearing Australia account last month against the incumbent Mediacom.
“We did very well and picked up that piece of business. We’ve been busily working away on that account, and we’re having a lot of fun with it,” the managing partner added.
The benefits of the IMAA membership
Edge Agency joined the IMAA in December 2021 and has been a fan of their work and representation of independent agencies.
Parker said that part of why the agency joined was the available deals on tools and platforms, from research tools such as Roy Morgan and Nielsen to creative resizing and buying tools.
“Leveraging the combined buying power of a group of independents was really a selling point,” he said.
The managing partner also noted that becoming a part of the IMAA’s network was another reason to be part of the industry body.
“The ability to network and talk to like-minded individuals likely to face similar challenges and have a forum for those discussions. Before the IMAA, it was harder to do that, especially if you weren’t willing to join the big bodies, which was out of reach for us from a fee viewpoint,” Parker added.
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Top image: Richard Parker
