Ten Four Media is the only 100% owned Indigenous, digital media buying agency in Australia that specialises in delivering custom solutions for businesses wanting to get the best return on investment for their media spend.
Since its inception in 2019, the agency has worked for various new and established businesses to launch and grow with strategy and consulting, advertising and media and creative development.
From health and fitness, online coaches, eCommerce and manufacturing to service businesses, Ten Four Media has worked with a wide variety of clients including The University of Newcastle, The Faculty, Social Futures, Harrison & Harrison, Rugby League Gold Coast, Rebel Liquor Group and Gillette.
In celebration of NAIDOC Week, Mediaweek caught up with the sole director and owner of Ten Four Media, Bundjalung woman Tamra Forde.
Forde has worked in the advertising and media industry for over 11 years working across marketing sectors, from traditional to digital marketing, specialising in advertising.
From being an internal marketing manager for a large education production company in Australia to SMEs, and large multi-national companies such as Proctor and Gamble, Forde has worked with a broad range of clients.
MW: How did you get your start in the industry?
TF: “I started using digital advertising when I had my own e-commerce business in 2012. This is when Google Ads was the only online platform to send traffic to your website. Once Facebook ads came out it was a game changer and getting people to see your business across Australia was a lot easier. So I had to master the online media platforms to send traffic to my own website, but when you are spending your own money, every dollar needs to count in a small business. All of a sudden other small businesses saw what I was doing and were approaching me to ask how I could help with their Lead Generation so I started an Ads business specialising in Facebook Ads in 2015.
“I had a successful consulting business across Australia and the USA for a few years when my now husband asked me to come and work at a creative agency he had bought for a couple of years. We built the agency to be a full-service advertising and marketing agency.
“I set up Ten Four Media in 2019 as a wholly owned Indigenous business to cater to corporates and SMEs and to offer a different service to Supply Nation businesses.”
MW: How was Ten Four Media’s performance in 2022, and how has that set the agency up for this year?
TF: “We had a strong performance coming off the back of COVID, it was consistent without too many fluctuations. I believe the foundations we set up last year, showcasing our work and being out in the market more often has led us to some great clients this year who we have long-term retainers with, which has led to some bigger projects. Getting our foot in the door gives us the opportunity to show clients what we can do and how nimble we are. We can move fast and they don’t need several agencies to do what they need, they just need Ten Four Media.”
MW: Is there a career highlight that stands out for you so far?
TF: “So far the best highlight would be winning the contract with Procter and Gamble to build out a subscription model for razors for Gillette. It was a large undertaking and a new strategy for them in e-commerce.”
MW: What does NAIDOC week mean to you as an Indigenous professional in the industry?
TF: “To me, NAIDOC week brings Indigenous culture to the forefront and allows people to be more open and engage with me about who I am, my background and have a discussion about culture. NAIDOC week gives all Indigenous people time to shine and be proud of who they are and for them to stand up and be seen.”
MW: What are your thoughts on the representation and visibility of First Nations people working in the industry and in the work produced? How can it be improved?
TF: “In my industry, I believe there are pockets of successful businesses in certain media – like video and marketing in general – but in advertising, I don’t see any Indigenous-led businesses out there. I am seeing some awesome Indigenous video companies produce amazing work across Australia.
“I would love to see an initiative led in the media and advertising industry that allows big media businesses to hire smaller indigenous companies or subcontract to help them get a foot in the industry. Too many contracts are won by the bigger guys without even a glance at the new smaller agencies like Tenfour Media.”
MW: What advice do you have for young First Nations people about the advertising and media industry?
TF: “This industry is fast-moving and allows First Nations people to become part of an evolving media landscape. If you are looking for an exciting challenge and want to learn many skills across creative, brand, digital and advertising to help build businesses or market businesses better, this is a great industry to get started in.”
MW: Ten For is part of the IMAA, what have been the benefits of being part of that organisation?
TF: “We joined in 2022, so we haven’t been in long enough yet but we have enjoyed being part of a group of highly successful media agencies. As the first Indigenous agency, we have a lot to learn from the members and can’t wait to see how being part of IMAA can help us grow to the next stage.”
MW: What does the year ahead look like for yourself and Ten Four Media? What can the industry expect from the agency?
TF: “Our focus for the rest of this year is on getting a few more contracts in to allow us to put more indigenous staff on.
“We have just released our zero/first-party data tool and it is now available to the public and for other agencies to use. It empowers the client to have full ownership of their data, with a privacy focus, and to send the data to any media platform they wish. It has already been tested by some of the largest companies in the world in advertising and approved for use.
“We believe this is the most powerful data tool to combat signal data loss in the marketplace today. If any agencies are interested in chatting about this, they can contact my team for a further chat.”
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Top Image: Tamra Forde