Best Digital Services

Resolution Digital Australia

Resolution Digital started as a two-person show in a windowless room above Wynyard Station. It is now a full-service agency and manages over $750 million in media billings and boasts a team of 400 across Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Resolution Digital's mission is to drive remarkable results with a personal touch. A client recently wrote a rave review about its experience with Resolution Digital: "As a business, it was important for us to work with a digital agency that was known for delivering results beyond the usual digital metrics.

"We chose Resolution Digital because they understand the complexities required to achieve our business's key performance objectives (KPOs)." It is more than just a digital agency. In the past year, Resolution Digital has successfully won a host of new business, maintained a 99 per cent client retention rate and onboarded over 140 staff across their offices in Australia. Constantly innovating, Resolution Digital holds a fist full of industry 'firsts' and has been awarded Google Agency of the Year three times in a row and Microsoft Agency Partner of the Year. The agency speaks out publicly and frequently about the issues that matter most, including the changing privacy landscape, the rise of retailer media, debunking the MarTech maze, and how to prepare for GA4. 

Advertising Agency

Howatson+Company

Howatson+Company says that it exists to make a positive influence on people and culture the world over and through its work, the agency has championed this. Addressing gender inequality, protecting the environment for future generations, supporting local communities near its offices, and reflecting genuine respect for First Nations peoples, Howatson+Company has invested itself into striving towards its primary goal.

The agency creates its work with accessibility in mind as Howatson+Company wants everything it produces to be representative of the Australia it experiences today. By diversifying its revenue streams, the agency puts its people first and invests time and creative services to start-ups and projects it believes in. During its first 18 months, Howatson+Company has onboarded 92 people, welcomed 32 clients and reported month-on-month growth of 15 per cent. With growth flourishing for the agency, it aims to reinvest in its people, rather than sticking to holding company ratios. The agency says it’s on a 30-year journey, and at year one, it's just getting started.  

Branding, Design & CX Agency

BMF

BMF has had one hell of a year. The powerhouse agency has not only turned 25, but it’s also created a new campaign a week, scored 11 new clients, hired 37 new staff members, and tripled the size of its government account all while dealing with the struggles of the global pandemic. But it’s not blind luck that BMF has had such success.

The agency says it’s in the memory business, driving it to create long ideas and build trustworthy brands in the world of short-term thinking. By challenging convention, changing minds and touching hearts, BMF has given back to its clients and achieved its most successful commercial year to date. It hasn’t just been the year BMF turned 25, it’s been the year the agency has doubled down on its guiding principles and values to make its work shine out above the crowd. By making brands memorable with authentic and enduring branding and design work, BMF has displayed its prowess amongst the elites of the Aussie advertising world.  

Emerging Agency

Shadowboxer

For an agency so young, Shadowboxer’s commercial success and rise up the adland ladder has made it the agency to look out for. Shadowboxer's unique business model sees it truly invested in its clients, delivering the outcomes they need, not what they can afford. While this seems risky there’s been enormous pay-off. Shadowboxer has doubled its revenue, quadrupled in size and extracted consistently strong profit margins in every quarter over the past year.

The agency delivers long-term, life-changing value for organisations such as The UN, and enviable success for startups such as Doshii and Greener. With equal wealth creation a driving force behind the agency, Shadowbox provides paid super for the entirety of parental leave and shares profits with its team based on equity and dividends so that as the agency’s wealth grows, so does the wealth of the team. With big plans for 2023 and a presence in three global markets to help bring to life, Shadowboxer is the agency to keep an eye on in the coming years.

Experiential/Promotional Agency

AKCELO

Founded by a team of best mates around the time the global pandemic was just about to hit, AKCELO blasted into adland at a very strange time for the industry. The agency has capitalised on its explosive start, with a new business win rate of 95 per cent and scoring work with major accounts like McDonald’s, Amart Furniture, Spotify, Tinder, Monash and A-Leagues.

This brand experience and innovation company has fulfilled its one simple desire - to shake up the industry and inspire a generation of new-world agencies to dethrone the big holding companies. With an experimental approach to advertising and a conviction for delivering award-winning work, AKCELO has soared through the pandemic and delivered massive growth. In just its second year of operation AKCELO saw its staff numbers grow 215 per cent, revenue grow 278 per cent and it deliver an average month-on-month growth of 14 per cent to earn itself a reputation as the up-and-coming agency for everyone in adland to keep their eyes on.

Independent Agency - Over 50 Employees

Howatson+Company

Howatson+Company works as an independent agency to make a positive influence on people and culture the world over and through its work, the agency has championed this. By tackling pressing social challenges, protecting the environment for future generations, supporting local communities near its offices, and reflecting genuine respect for First Nations peoples, Howatson+Company has invested itself into striving towards its primary goal.

The agency creates its work with accessibility in mind as Howatson+Company wants everything it produces to be representative of the Australia it experiences today. By diversifying its revenue streams, the agency puts its people first and invests time and creative services to start-ups and projects it believes in. During its first 18 months, Howatson+Company has onboarded 92 people, welcomed 32 clients and reported month-on-month growth of 15 per cent. With growth flourishing for the agency, it aims to reinvest in its people, rather than sticking to holding company ratios. The agency says it’s on a 30-year journey, and at year one, it's just getting started.

Independent Agency - Under 50 Employees

The Hallway

With one of the year’s most memorable campaigns under its belt, The Hallway has shone in the media space over the past 12 months, tackling pressing social issues as it goes. The Hallway lives by its vision of being “Australia’s most valued communications company” and has found this doesn’t boil down to ROI or eyes on a campaign. By broadening its definition of its vision to encompass the impact the agency has on its clients, people, the broader community and the environment, the agency has thrived in adland.

This is the ongoing journey of constant improvement that The Hallway says will secure it a B Corp certification. With its iconic "Boys Do Cry"campaign rocking adland and the "Banking you can Feel Good About" campaign refreshing Suncorp’s image, The Hallway has shown its incredible depth of skill and creativity. The commercial success achieved by The Hallway over the past year has scored a car account, seen it nab a slew of awards and make a name for itself in the advertising world.  

Media Agency

Initiative Australia

Initiative Australia says that 2022 was its Year of the Phoenix. The agency scored $260 million in new and retained pitches, diversified its revenue by 21.4 per cent and reported that 98.6 per cent of its staff were proud to work there. The agency’s success is due in part to its belief that "when you’re leading the world, you have a responsibility to change it.’"

This led Initiative to create several industry-redefining programs, policies and practices alongside continuing to drive record levels of growth. From activating a decades-long industry promise of machine-led automation, funding fertility, spotlighting media catering to neglected audiences and creating an exceptionally deep bank of award-winning work, Initiative has shown why it's up there with the best media has to offer. Initiative Australia open sourced all of its strategies that got it to where it is to create the change that’s needed to bring others along with the agency. This is how Initiative has achieved its Year of the Phoenix and soared in the media industry.  

NSW Agency

Howatson+Company

This up-and-coming agency says that it exists to make a positive influence on people and culture the world over and through its work, Howatson+Company has championed this. The agency has made a name for itself by addressing gender inequality, protecting the environment for future generations, supporting local communities near its offices, and reflecting genuine respect for First Nations peoples, guiding the agency in its path towards its primary goal.

The agency creates its work with accessibility in mind as Howatson+Company wants everything it produces to be representative of the Australia it experiences today. By diversifying its revenue streams, the agency puts its people first and invests time and creative services to start-ups and projects it believes in. During its first 18 months, Howatson+Company has onboarded 92 people, welcomed 32 clients and reported month-on-month growth of 15 per cent. With growth flourishing for the agency, it aims to reinvest in its people, rather than sticking to holding company ratios. The agency says it’s on a 30-year journey, and at year one, it's just getting started.  

Performance Agency

Alley

Performance agencies need to drive results for clients above all else and Alley, which retains its award from last year, has certainly done so over the last twelve months. In campaigns for brands as varied as Tinder and Reece Bathrooms, Alley was able to take difficult challenges on head-first, delivering impressive results across the board, tapping new audiences, and driving sales. While the agency says that its average client doubles its revenue and profit from its campaigns, Reece Bathrooms saw a more than 600 per cent e-commerce revenue boost with return on ad spend hitting 262 per cent.

In-store visits, meanwhile, grew by more than 200 per cent and trade leads ballooned by 908 per cent. Its work for Tinder, on the other hand, focused less on sales and more on brand favourability. Again, Alley delivered. Through its Big Rainbow campaign which leveraged influencers, social partnerships, and audio streaming, Alley boosted Tinder's brand favourability by more than four times. Alley's mission statement has always maintained that "when you spend money on marketing, you need to make money on marketing." With its diverse team (65 per cent BIPOC and 62 per cent female) it is certainly practicing what it preaches.  

PR Agency

Thrive PR

Last year, Thrive enjoyed its most successful year ever.

Campaign highlights included the Bluey House on Airbnb, a world-first LEGO® Formula 1 car build and the announcement of SPC’s vaccine mandate. This success will continue thanks to many new clients appointing Thrive over the past 12 months, including MG Motors, Harley-Davidson and Blackmores Group.

Recently, Thrive has spearheaded a movement to add PR as a skill of permanent residency; launching Thrive Tech Academy to upskill PR professionals industry-wide and pioneering ‘PR Jobs of the Future’ where global talent can choose to work in any of Thrive’s offices with accommodation and travel support.

Thrive achieved these successes while putting the well-being of its people first. Thrive was the first company in Australia to introduce ten extra days of Domestic Violence leave for all staff; introduced initiatives like a paid Wellness Day off; the option to work from anywhere in the world for up to a month, and 12 days’ paid childcare for working parents.

As an independent, fully female-owned and led agency, Thrive lives by the mantra of being "limited by nothing". No holding group, no red tape, and no limits to what PR can achieve. With a track record like that, Thrive certainly lives up to its name.

Production Company

FINCH

In a world wrangling with some of the most serious challenges we've ever faced, FINCH has been able to give voices to voiceless and put illuminate the struggles they face. Working for NRMA to connect the insurers purpose and belief with a collective experience, FINCH produced A Fire Inside, a feature-length documentary as the spearhead of a broader campaign to spark a national conversation and drive change. Following the Australian Resilience Corps, the nation's largest volunteer organisation before, during, and after the Black Summer fires.

The film premiered at the Sydney Film Festival before releasing in 138 cinemas across Australia. It went on to become the number one documentary on 9NOW last summer. Work for UNICEF, UN Women Australia, and the UNHCR only added to the company's affecting and impact-driving campaigns. However, work for Tourism NZ, Uber Eats, and Tourism Australia proved that FINCH has a fun side, too, while still driving results for its clients. In fact, in the first quarter of this year FINCH won 15 pitches in a row — a company first — retained 97 per cent of its clients while growing its revenue and profit margin by 20 per cent.  

QLD/Other States and
Territories/NZ Agency

Special

On the back of its best-ever year last time out, Special was B&T's Grand Prix winner. Somehow, in 2022, the agency has managed to best itself again recording a 29 per cent boost in revenue, profits increasing by more than a third, and growing its headcount by 21 per cent. Of course, it wasn't all a numbers game for Special. Special won a Gold Lion at Cannes and a One Show 'Best in Discipline' pencil — only the second pencil to be awarded to a Kiwi agency.

Special also won New Zealand's first-ever Global Effie. Despite New Zealand only fully reopening from COVID restrictions last month, Special managed to open offices on two different hemispheres. Special London and Wellington join the company's existing offices in Auckland, Sydney, Melbourne and Los Angeles. That global reach has not detracted from Special's Kiwi heritage, however. This year, the company launched Special Aotea, a culturally-led creative, strategic, and business rōpū (Maori for group or collective) within the agency designed to authentically represent Te Ao Māori (the interconnectedness of all living and non-living things) in its people, work, and the next generation. 

Research Agency

Fiftyfive5

For Fiftyfive5, 2022 has been a year of significant business wins and impressive results for its clients. The agency grew its revenue by 39 per cent, while gross profit increased by four per cent. Plus, in some of the most difficult labour market conditions in memory, Fiftyfive5 managed to bring 44 new employees onboard.

Those extra staff helped Fiftyfive5 remain Australia's largest independent research agency and allowed it to bring on 119 new clients this year, including 7-Eleven and Amazon. However, don't think that Fiftyfive5 is churning clients. In fact, 19 of its first 21 clients from 2010 are still with the agency.

Fiftyfive5 was particularly successful in its work for Uber Eats this year. As the growth of its "Tonight, I'll Be Eating" platform slowed, Fiftyfive5 helped reinvigorate the campaign identifying new growth opportunities which helped deliver a 400 per cent return on investment, a five per cent uplift in basket size, and 28 million incremental orders during the campaign. 

Shopper Marketing Agency of the Year

31ST:SECOND

With more channels than ever, shopper marketing is becoming increasingly complex. However, 31st, with its omnichannel approach has ridden the wave of disruption caused by COVID to deliver results for clients, bring new ones on board, and grow its business. The agency's turnover grew to more than $7 million, while revenue jumped by 39 per cent. What's more, 31st brought on huge clients being appointed the exclusive shopper agency for the Campari Portfolio of Brands and the Sanitarium Portfolio of Brands.

What's more, these new clients, along with LEGO, Bega, and Taylors Wines are locked in until 2023/4. However, it's not all cold, hard cash and client wins that make 31st our Shopper Marketing Agency of the Year. It has also doubled-down on its impressive workplace culture. Nine-to-five days are a thing of the past with all staff able to work from home as required and even knock off early on Friday with no clock-watching managers asking questions. Plus, with 73 per cent of the team being women and 65 per cent coming from diverse cultural backgrounds, 31st has built an ideal team to help get Aussie shoppers over the line for the clients. 

VIC Agency

The Monkeys, part of Accenture Song

The Monkeys manage to keep its hands on B&T's Victoria Agency of the Year Award having expanded to a new office, brought on three new clients, and won 13 awards. However, it wasn't all plain sailing. Supercheap Auto, long-time sponsor of the Bathurst 1000 lost out to its major rival Repco.

As a result, The Monkeys had to think creatively about making sure that its client would get noticed on the biggest weekend of motorsport in Australia without being able to officially advertise. Some creative bumping of heads in the office saw the team land on the 1000 Bathursts campaign. By highlighting local businesses and community clubs, the Monkeys got Australia talking with 2.4 million online views and 457,000 online engagements in less than a week.

Innovative campaigns for Impossible Burgers, Australia Post, and Amazon amongst others, along with a remarkably low staff turnover of 10 per cent, make The Monkeys out Victoria Agency of the Year.