Budget constraints and economic uncertainty have put pressure on client and agency partnerships, but for Spark Foundry, its relationships with long-term clients are not only weathering the storm but growing.
The Publicis Groupe agency has been a trusted media partner for health insurance brand HCF, super fund Australian Super, Peters Ice Cream and Royal Caribbean Cruises.
Matt Turl, CEO of Spark Foundry, told Mediaweek: “All of the businesses that we have had long-term relationships with have had challenges at points in time.
“What sits at the heart of any of those partnerships has been an ability to adapt.”
Turl also spoke to Mediaweek about the value of adaptability and long-term thinking with clients, optimising growth and opportunities and maintaining the agency’s momentum in long-term partnerships.
The year so far
With almost half the year down, Turl said the global uncertainty has the agency’s eyes on the state of the economy and how that impacts their clients.
“For the leadership team, we’re trying to anticipate what may or may not happen. We’re trying to buffer ourselves against what may happen through new business in particular.”
Turl said that amid the industry innovations and new channels, he and the Spark Foundry team are examining the opportunities for their clients and measuring those achievements.
“Spark is well-positioned to manage that. We have a team of analysts of 30 in the agency now. We have the bandwidth to kind of deal with the complexity of the challenges that are being thrown at us.”
Maintaining trust with long-term clients
Spark Foundry’s clients come from a diverse range of categories and Turl highlighted, that adaptability is central to partnerships with long-term clients and maintaining trust as their business changes.
“Peters more recently is managing significant increases in its cost inputs and that is being managed. HCF has been through iterations of being price competitive to being less price competitive as those cycles work their way through the health insurance advertisers.
“An ability to adapt and find solutions that work when those things are changing is critical, but you can only do that if you understand the way the business works,” he said.
Spark Foundry Australia has overseen Peters Ice Cream’s media since in 2018, and for CEO Emma-Jane Collins, the partnership has delivered strategic and commercial value.
“More than just an agency, they are an extension of our team – understanding our brands inside and out and treating them with the same dedication and care that we do. Their expertise in identifying opportunities, solving challenges, and driving innovation keeps us ahead in a constantly evolving market.”
The agency has helped Peters Ice Cream maximise its reach and effectiveness from securing high-profile sponsorships such as the Australian Open and MasterChef, pioneering impactful outdoor advertising and pushing boundaries on social and e-commerce platforms.
“Their ability to leverage platforms, like Uber Eats, has also enabled us to engage with new consumer behaviours and expand into emerging spaces.
Collins added: “Beyond strategic execution, our partnership is built on trust, transparency, and a shared vision. Spark Foundry’s agility, market insights, and commitment to our success have been instrumental in driving growth and meaningful consumer connections. We highly value their contributions and look forward to continuing this journey together.”
For Lucy Jack, Head of Media, Member Marketing and Analytics, HCF, the media agency has been a supportive and steadfast partner particularly as the insurance brand underwent a business transformation over the last 18 months.
She shared that the agency has operated as a “seamless extension” for its marketing and media team, and over the years of the partnership, has given HCF “the confidence to engage in open, respectful discussions, ensuring we both work towards the best possible outcomes.”
“In a rapidly evolving landscape, having a team that truly understands our business, shares our commitment to innovation, and continuously seeks ways to improve is vital for achieving our long-term vision of delivering value to our members. This is the essence of true partnership,” Jack added.
Speaking to that essence of partnership, Turl explained that an agency should be in the client’s business and understand the relationship between the how money being invested and the returns generated and the pressure points of the business.
“I think the advertising industry is perhaps at fault sometimes for believing that we are the most important input to our client’s businesses.
“There’s nothing wrong in that, per se because it’s pride in what we do and it’s the belief that we make a difference, but there are many other pieces at play.”
Turl also highlighted the low cost, minimal work Spark Foundry did to ensure they were ready for Royal Caribbean to set sail once COVID restrictions lifted.
“If we turned everything off and did nothing for two years, we would be in a less advantageous position when the constraints of COVID are lifted.
“I think we did an exceptional job with Royal Caribbean when they were allowed to return to cruise, we were ready for that.
“We understood their industry had fundamentally changed and have been very successful in helping them on that journey post-COVID to the point where Australia is the most effective market, direct market globally for them.”
Kathryn Lock, Director of Marketing, Royal Caribbean, praised the culture and commitment of Spark Foundry over the years, calling the team “smart, strong, clever, happy people.”
“The commitment Spark Foundry Australia has shown to our business has been unwavering and it is simply a joy to work with likeminded people who are not prepared to just settle but are willing to test the boundaries together,” she added.
Turl discussed also Australian Super, which Spark Foundry had overseen its media before the insurance company chose to move its digital components in-house.
“We have a big team with deep expertise, but equally, we work with many clients who have in-housed that aspect of the media solution.
“It has been a lengthy journey with Australian Super. It’s been deliberate and well thought out.
“There have been points in time where we’ve gone forward and then backwards a step and we continue to support them with strategic digital expertise in our Melbourne office.”
David Robertson, Head of Direct Growth, AustralianSuper, noted that for over eight years, Spark Foundry Australia has been a solid, unshakeable foundation of support and resilience during challenging times.
“Together we have delivered many ground-breaking and awarded initiatives. Initiatives that leveraged our first party data, martech capability and AI; that created competitive advantage in the superannuation category; that evolved how we measure through-the-line; and completely changed the way we work through moving digital media capability in-house.
“Spark Foundry’s knowledge of our business stretches well beyond media and this holistic view has helped when strategic priorities shift. There have been so many incredible successes that we have celebrated together, but change is inevitable and how we react to it is where a partnership, developed over time, can offer greater strategic perspective, solutions and results,” Robertson added.
Spark Foundry’s culture and people strategy
On the flip side of maintaining relationships with long-term clients is ensuring the agency’s team continues to feel motivated in their work.
Turl noted the longevity of the partnership is partly driven by the team working on the account and their deep understanding of the IP and young professionals coming up through the ranks and looking for opportunities.
“Finding the balance between having some stability within those teams, bringing new folk with new ideas into those teams is one critical component.”
He also noted Spark Foundry’s culture of being invested in the business outcomes for clients.
“Running this agency is a challenge a day because things change constantly. When you’re under the skin of a client’s business and you can see what’s happening, and you are obsessed with driving outcomes, then life stays interesting.”
To attract and retain talent at Spark Foundry, Publicis Groupe offers its employees a range of programs that appeal to professionals looking for flexibility, diversity, parenting support and empathetic leadership.
He also noted that The Groupe does not need to ‘police’ its people under its work-from-home policy (three days in office and two from home) because leaders can see the outcomes. It points to the fact that we’ve got the culture and balance right.
“I look at other businesses that are forcing their employees back into the office and I think it’s the culture or the way that people are working that hasn’t been fixed.
Turl also noted Spark Foundry’s growth and success which provides rewards for its people through promotions and pay rises, alongside a good balance on diversity.
“I do reflect on the fact that the makeup of ethnicities if you walk out on our floor, which has changed significantly over the last five years. We are attracting people from different backgrounds in a way the industry previously didn’t.
“That’s good for us. It’s good for our clients. It’s good that we have a perspective which isn’t constrained to the Eastern Suburbs and is reflective of the whole of Sydney and more broadly, Australia.”
Leveraging Publicis Groupe’s investments in AI
Publicis Groupe has made strides in adopting AI in recent years with its €300 million ($A493 million) investment in AI last year, the launch of Marcel, its AI platform created with Microsoft and connecting the creative minds of the Groupe globally, and the acquisitions of Epsilon and Lotame.
Turl said the way the agency trains its people and brings them along on the journey will make a difference to its clients.
“The fact that you can, within a secure environment in Publicis, you can test and learn on any of these tools. Today, it may be about getting better at prompting, but the technology will move fast and will reduce the need for us to be so adept at prompting because it will second guess what we’re asking for.
“The emphasis will move to how do you present a problem to the AI. That’s core to what we do because if we don’t understand the problem our client is having, we’re never going to get the right solution.”
He said that no one solution will make them better but rather that it will be an accumulation of security over time and working with partners like Google who have AI embedded into their solutions.
“I’m optimistic about humanity surviving the robots because humans will make a difference. The focus we have on having the smartest people that we can find in Spark is the thing that matters most.”
The year ahead
Looking ahead at Spark Foundry’s top strategic priorities, leading the list is caring for its people. Turl noted that the agency ensures progressive pathways and the agency’s momentum.
He also noted that growing the pool of talent makes the agency an attractive proposition to external talent.
Following that is understanding clients and navigating the changing media landscape, connecting it to business outcomes, particularly in challenging economic times.
Spark Foundry’s relationship with media partners is also a strategic priority. Turl explained: “There’s an interesting dynamic at play here and many other markets around the world between the global entities and the local media owners.
“We have a view that we need local media owners who can represent Australia’s interests from an editorial perspective, but they are in a dogfight with the global platforms.
“Our job is to help them all because only by helping them to help our clients are they going to survive and prosper. We’ll continue to be fixated on ensuring that we have great relationships with them and that we’re able to work with them transparently, so they understand why we made that decision not to invest or to invest with them.”
Rounding out Spark Foundry’s top priorities is Publicis Groupe’s desire for the agency to thrive. Turl concluded: “If we can do all those things in the next 12 months, then I’ll be quite happy.”
Top image: Matt Turl