The indies have earned their seat at the table – what do we do with it?

By Sam Buchanan, CEO, Independent Media Agencies Australia (IMAA)

For years, indie agencies simply wanted a voice in procurement, a place in pitches, access to data, and the ability to compete on a level playing field.

We've spent the past six years embedding the "indie era" and proving that indies are no longer the 'wild card', but preferred agencies of choice.

Independent media agencies now manage around 40% of Australia's media investment. That's around $11.2 billion in media investment annually* that falls under the indie remit; a significant increase since the IMAA first launched in 2020. Last year, indie agencies won 285 pitches and achieved a 64% market share of pitch wins^. Indies hold an estimated 55% share of digital ad spend.

Indies have earned their seat at the table. So, what now?

The indie sector now has influence, but we also have responsibility. We have a duty to shape the sector's future by driving a progressive agenda of innovation for both indies and the broader media landscape, while continuing to set our members up for long-term success.

These are the areas where indies should drive the conversation.

Procurement should reward value, not size

Government contracts remain one of the biggest opportunities for indies. Procurement needs to modernise, moving away from the perception that scale equals value and toward a model that rewards capability, innovation, local investment, and proven outcomes.

Independent media agencies have demonstrated their ability to deliver on complex, large-scale campaigns, bringing deep local market knowledge, considerable expertise and agile thinking. The Western Australian Government's recent commitment to indie representation on its master media panel demonstrates that a more inclusive procurement model is possible.

Our focus now is to build on this momentum and drive meaningful change across government procurement nationally.

Talent is the engine of our future

Attracting and retaining talent is not just an indie agency problem - it's a challenge faced by the entire industry.

As the pace of change accelerates, we need to rethink how we attract talent, build capability and create meaningful career pathways that inspire people to stay and grow.

We know that AI won't replace great people; instead, it will amplify the importance of uniquely human skills - strategic thinking, creativity, client leadership and commercial decision-making. With that in mind, the conversation needs to move beyond recruitment towards long-term capability building.

Indie agencies must prioritise cultures that build careers and create workplaces where people feel valued, supported and empowered to make an impact.

The future of our industry depends on our ability to develop the next generation of leaders. We'll continue our efforts in this space with our IMAA Academy and other education and development initiatives to create a stronger talent pipeline.

The 'light scalable' indies flexing their tech options

AI represents a powerful opportunity for indies to compete with larger agencies by streamlining operations, increasing efficiency, accessing deeper insights, and delivering greater value for clients.

Being independent lets our members white-label or partner with tech companies, test and learn quickly, and stay agile and flexible with vendors on client projects. Some indie agencies are building their own proprietary AI tools. However, technology is only as good as the data it's fed, and the people who power it, and that's where indies have the advantage because they retain more experienced people - the strategic thinkers who are best placed to challenge and interpret the outputs of AI tools.

Indies don't have the issue of accrued debt from investing in the tech ecosystem. This means they don't have to upsell clients or hide margins to recoup costs. Indies have become 'light scalable' – not locked into one tech model and who don't need to manipulate to see a return on investment. That's a powerful differentiation.

Collaboration is our competitive advantage

Australia's size means that our greatest opportunities are likely to come from collaboration - sharing knowledge, building collective solutions and leveraging our combined power to achieve outcomes that individual agencies simply could not deliver alone.

We want the IMAA to be a catalyst for change – advocating for better talent capability, better leadership, better diversity, better procurement, better measurement, better sustainability and better commercial outcomes.

By combining independent thinking with collective action, we can create a stronger, more innovative and more competitive media ecosystem. Our goal is not to have the IMAA measured by its member base, but by how much better the media industry has become because of the IMAA. It's about access to quality education, fair competition, procurement that rewards innovation, AI that improves people rather than replaces them, accessible data, diversity that's normal and independent thinking that drives better outcomes for clients.

So far, success has been measured by whether indies have a seat at the table. Now we have it, the challenge is to use that seat to make the table better for everyone.

*Sources: IAB Australia's Internet Advertising Revenue Report 2025
^ Trinity P3 2025 New Business Report