Ben Lilley

Former agency CEO Ben Lilley is assuming ownership of Interpublic Group’s McCann Australia – part of McCann Worldgroup. The agency will still have access to the parent company, but will operate independently in Australia.

Lilley stepped down as CEO and chairman of McCann at the start of 2018. He joined the agency in 2011 following the sale of his agency SMART to McCann.

In 2016 he added the title of creative leadership chair for Asia Pacific.

The acquisition will include… Show more

Former agency CEO Ben Lilley is assuming ownership of Interpublic Group’s McCann Australia – part of McCann Worldgroup. The agency will still have access to the parent company, but will operate independently in Australia.

Lilley stepped down as CEO and chairman of McCann at the start of 2018. He joined the agency in 2011 following the sale of his agency SMART to McCann.

In 2016 he added the title of creative leadership chair for Asia Pacific.

The acquisition will include SMART, McCann Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Gold Coast and its PR business The Red Republic.

Lilley said that the agency will continue to have access to the McCann Worldgroup network and global clients but will operate as an independent in Australia.

“Creativity has been the driving force throughout my career and I believe that is what empowers successful entrepreneurial businesses. Australia is one of the world’s leading creative hubs and I’m very excited to now be able to take over ownership of McCann’s full suite of integrated agency businesses in this key market,” Lilley said.

“I had a great experience working with McCann and I am keen to have all the advantage of being a part of the McCann network with its global resources, working for McCann global clients, but also having the opportunity of being flexible and fast moving to meet local market demands as an Australian independent.”

Lilley’s time at McCann saw the agency produce the lauded and highly-awarded “Dumb Ways to Die” campaign for Metro Trains.

The campaign reached 2.3m views on YouTube in just 48 hours, making it at the time the most viral Australian brand video of all time.
At the time of his departure in 2018, Lilley was relocating to France with his family. His statement at the time said that he was ready for a break.

“Having run SMART for 12 years and now McCann for six years, I’m ready for a proper break,” he said. Show less

McCann Worldgroup Australia chairman and chief executive officer, Ben Lilley, will leave his agency at the end of March. He will move to France in April.

Lilley joined McCann Australia as chairman & chief executive officer of McCann after the sale of his agency, SMART, in 2011, where he had been for eleven years.

Charles Cadell, president, McCann Worldgroup APAC, noted, “Ben has led one of McCann’s most successful offerings for years, responsible for delivering outstanding work… Show more

McCann Worldgroup Australia chairman and chief executive officer, Ben Lilley, will leave his agency at the end of March. He will move to France in April.

Lilley joined McCann Australia as chairman & chief executive officer of McCann after the sale of his agency, SMART, in 2011, where he had been for eleven years.

Charles Cadell, president, McCann Worldgroup APAC, noted, “Ben has led one of McCann’s most successful offerings for years, responsible for delivering outstanding work and building a truly dynamic and exciting business. In his capacity as our APAC CLC Chair, he effected remarkable results, with 2017 being the best ever year for our regional award wins – both on the creative and the effectiveness front. One of those rare hybrid leaders – a true mix of creative and CEO – he’ll be very much missed by the network and we wish him all the best.”

Under Lilley’s leadership, McCann was named Agency of the Year at D&AD, London International, Spikes Asia, Campaign Asia, Campaign Brief, Mumbrella and AWARD. Ben was appointed McCann Worldgroup creative leadership chair, Asia Pacific, in 2016 responsible for driving McCann’s creative excellence across the APAC region.

In 2013, McCann Australia became the world’s most awarded agency in the Gunn Report, Won Report and AdAge Awards Report, for campaigns including Dumb Ways to Die (DWTD). DWTD was named the most awarded campaign in history and featured in both the AdAge Top 15 Ad Campaigns and Gunn Report 20 Best Commercials of the 21st Century.

McCann is now among only a handful of Australian agencies to have recorded year-on-year Cannes Lions since. In 2017, McCann was the #2 Australian agency at Cannes. It has been equally recognised in effectiveness awards, winning a Cannes Lions Creative Effectiveness Grand Prix for V/Line in 2014 and numerous effectiveness awards at the Australian, APAC and Global Effies, the Asian Marketing Effectiveness Awards and WARC. Show less

Today, McCann Melbourne has placed three women at the helm of the agency in a move that deserves to be recognised.

But McCann isn’t the only agency worth noting. There have been moves elsewhere that show the dial shifting, and hopefully a continuing trend, and it's worth a reminder of all the other senior women that have landed top jobs, showing that it is possible, and it is happening.

Leo Burnett promoted Melinda Geertz to national CEO; The Hallway recently established its… Show more

Today, McCann Melbourne has placed three women at the helm of the agency in a move that deserves to be recognised.

But McCann isn’t the only agency worth noting. There have been moves elsewhere that show the dial shifting, and hopefully a continuing trend, and it's worth a reminder of all the other senior women that have landed top jobs, showing that it is possible, and it is happening.

Leo Burnett promoted Melinda Geertz to national CEO; The Hallway recently established its Melbourne ANZ team led by three senior women; DDB Sydney promoted its MD Nicole Taylor to CEO and hired a female ECD in Tara Ford, Clemenger Melbourne promoted Gayle While to the newly created role of deputy CEO, BWM Dentsu promoted Belinda Murray to MD and Amy Hollier to ECD, and Hazelle Klønhammer is leading new indie Ugly. Did I miss any? Drop me a line if there are other senior female hires to be included here.

Thinkerbell is yet to name its managing director but hopefully the rumours are true and former OMD managing director Margie Reid will join the three male founders and even the playing field.

There is still work to be done, with agencies with female-skewed leadership few and far between, but if you look beyond the consultancy/Melbourne moves of late, it seems the industry is making progress. Show less

McCann Melbourne has announced the promotion of general manager Anita Deutsch-Burley to managing director and Roshni Hegerman to strategy director.

The agency’s creative leadership will continue under Melbourne-based chief creative officer Pat Baron and executive creative director Nicole Mandile (pictured above, left).

Deutsch-Burley (pictured above, centre) has been with McCann since 2015, joining from George Patterson Y&R, while Hegerman (pictured above, right) joined McCann… Show more

McCann Melbourne has announced the promotion of general manager Anita Deutsch-Burley to managing director and Roshni Hegerman to strategy director.

The agency’s creative leadership will continue under Melbourne-based chief creative officer Pat Baron and executive creative director Nicole Mandile (pictured above, left).

Deutsch-Burley (pictured above, centre) has been with McCann since 2015, joining from George Patterson Y&R, while Hegerman (pictured above, right) joined McCann Sydney in 2014 from her role BBDO India, where she held the role of planning director.

Since Deutsch-Burley joined the agency, McCann has invested significantly in its integrated offering, introducing full-service media in-house in 2015, and merging its strategic, media and digital and creative capabilities under a single agency offering.

The move has paid off, with major new business wins and integrated campaign launches for high-profile Melbourne clients including L’Oreal, AGL, tigerair, Bakers Delight, Victoria Racing Club, Worksafe, and the University of Melbourne.

McCann CEO Ben Lilley said: “We are excited to announce this brilliant leadership line-up for our Melbourne office. Anita, Roshni and Nicole have proven themselves stars at McCann, and I couldn’t be more pleased to have them now leading our outstanding Melbourne team.”

Baron added: “Nicole, Anita and Roshni are a joy to work with. They’ve already achieved great things at McCann, and with them at the helm in Melbourne, we’re looking forward to even bigger things to come.

“Our Melbourne office is one of the McCann network’s global centres of excellence, and Melbourne is also a key contributor to McCann’s regional APAC creativity, with Ben Lilley running his dual role as Asia Pacific creative leadership chair from Melbourne since 2016.

“So, I’m especially pleased have a talent of Nicole’s calibre leading our local team.” Show less

McCann, New York has 32 finalists in the 2017 Cresta Awards – helped along by Fearless Girl’s 5 shortlist spots for State Street Global Advisors and The Field Trip to Mars’ 7 for Lockheed Martin. The US has 45 shortlisted entries, but has been relegated to the #2 spot by Germany with 46.

McCann Melbourne is Australia’s top scorer by far. Its 10 finalists have helped Australia reach a shortlist tally of 15.

The Cresta Awards cover 12 major competitions – TV/Cinema/Online Film… Show more

McCann, New York has 32 finalists in the 2017 Cresta Awards – helped along by Fearless Girl’s 5 shortlist spots for State Street Global Advisors and The Field Trip to Mars’ 7 for Lockheed Martin. The US has 45 shortlisted entries, but has been relegated to the #2 spot by Germany with 46.

McCann Melbourne is Australia’s top scorer by far. Its 10 finalists have helped Australia reach a shortlist tally of 15.

The Cresta Awards cover 12 major competitions – TV/Cinema/Online Film, Integrated Campaigns, Press, Outdoor, Ambient Media, Direct Marketing, Radio, Design, Promotions & Incentives, Branded Entertainment, Crafts and Interactive. Work is judged on the basis of just two criteria only, the originality of the creative idea and the quality of its execution.

52 countries entered and 26 achieved finalists. Show less

This fall will mark five years since McCann Melbourne unleashed “Dumb Ways to Die.” No PSA since then, with the exception of the Ad Council’s “Love Has No Labels,” has come close to matching the global appeal of the adorable blobs who famously meet their demise in various comically stupid ways—ways that, Metro Trains memorably suggested, were almost as dumb as losing one’s life by being unsafe near train tracks.

In our latest “Best Ads Ever” video, Michael Hart, founder and managing… Show more

This fall will mark five years since McCann Melbourne unleashed “Dumb Ways to Die.” No PSA since then, with the exception of the Ad Council’s “Love Has No Labels,” has come close to matching the global appeal of the adorable blobs who famously meet their demise in various comically stupid ways—ways that, Metro Trains memorably suggested, were almost as dumb as losing one’s life by being unsafe near train tracks.

In our latest “Best Ads Ever” video, Michael Hart, founder and managing creative director of Minneapolis agency mono, includes “Dumb Ways to Die” among his three favorite ads of all time.

And he’s surely not alone. The viral juggernaut of a spot—with lyrics by McCann’s John Mescall, music by Ollie McGill from the band The Cat Empire, and performance by Emily Lubitz of Tinpan Orange—was viewed more than 30 million times in its first two weeks. The official YouTube view tally is now over 147 million.

“The idea for a song started from a very simple premise: What if we disguised a worthy safety message inside something that didn’t feel at all like a safety message?” Mescall told Adweek at the time. “We thought about what the complete opposite of a serious safety message would be, and came to the conclusion it was an insanely happy and cute song.”

McGill’s music, combined with the Gashlycrumb-Tinies-meets-Monty-Python lyrics, did the trick.

“The melody is easy to remember and sing along to, the lyrics are fun, bite-sized chunks of naughtiness, and the vocals have just the right amount of knowing innocence,” Mescall said. “It’s a song you want to hate for living in your head, but you can’t bring yourself to hate it because it’s also so bloody likable.”

He added: “Emily brought a great combination of innocence, playfulness and vocal integrity. She brings a level of vocal quality you don’t normally get on a video about cartoon death.” Show less

Australians coin term for snubbing someone in favor of a phone: Could you coin a word and have it catch on with the public? On May 22, 2012, a group of Australian language and marketing experts gathered at the University of Sydney to do just that.

Four and a half years later, we can declare the experiment a success. The word, “phubbing,” blends “phone” and “snubbing” and refers to ignoring someone in favor of paying attention to your smartphone. Just in the past few weeks, thanks to a… Show more

Australians coin term for snubbing someone in favor of a phone: Could you coin a word and have it catch on with the public? On May 22, 2012, a group of Australian language and marketing experts gathered at the University of Sydney to do just that.

Four and a half years later, we can declare the experiment a success. The word, “phubbing,” blends “phone” and “snubbing” and refers to ignoring someone in favor of paying attention to your smartphone. Just in the past few weeks, thanks to a recent study of the phenomenon in an academic journal, phubbing has been featured on CNN and Britain’s big Daily Mail tabloid, and it even served as the setup for a raunchy joke on Saturday Night Live’s “Weekend Update.”

Back in 2012, the Australian office of the advertising agency McCann hatched the word-coining plan with assistance from the dictionary publisher Macquarie.

The group that McCann and Macquarie brought together included David Astle, a writer and crossword-puzzle constructor who has a weekly column called “Wordplay” in the Sydney Morning Herald.

It was Mr. Astle who came up with phubbing at the 2012 meeting. The wordsmiths decided it was the best choice, and McCann then set about popularizing it through a guerrilla marketing campaign. They launched a website, stopphubbing.com, presented as the work of Melbourne University graduate student Alex Haigh, who had interned at McCann.

In the summer of 2013, international media outlets started to pick up on the campaign, and phubbing received its first flurry of attention. That October, McCann revealed the story of how the word was coined in an online video, “A Word is Born.”

Katherine Connor Martin, head of U.S. dictionaries at Oxford, said that when she first heard about phubbing, she doubted it would ever catch on enough to merit dictionary treatment. But the chatter about phubbing has shown that people are beginning to accept it as a natural part of their vocabulary. Show less

Since Ben Lilley took the reins as Chairman and CEO at McCann Australia, the agency has received tremendous acclaim. In 2013, McCann Australia was named the ‘World’s Most Awarded Agency’. Today, according to the World Advertising Research Centre’s annual report, McCann is the top ranked agency in Australia for advertising effectiveness, and it ranks sixth globally. Ben has been appointed McCann’s Asia Pacific Creative Leadership Chair, and is now tasked with driving the network’s creative… Show more

Since Ben Lilley took the reins as Chairman and CEO at McCann Australia, the agency has received tremendous acclaim. In 2013, McCann Australia was named the ‘World’s Most Awarded Agency’. Today, according to the World Advertising Research Centre’s annual report, McCann is the top ranked agency in Australia for advertising effectiveness, and it ranks sixth globally. Ben has been appointed McCann’s Asia Pacific Creative Leadership Chair, and is now tasked with driving the network’s creative effectiveness across the APAC region.

Beginning his career in advertising as a copywriter, Ben’s desire to find the most creative and effective ways to connect clients with their customers is still what drives him today. At the dawn of the internet age, and the beginnings of digital marketing and advertising, Ben recognised exciting opportunities that others hadn’t yet appreciated.

At the time, traditional agencies were slow to embrace new technological advancements, so Ben decided to get the jump on them and launch his own digital-savvy creative agency. Ben teamed up with Paul Findlay who was running design agency SMART, and relaunched it as a full-service agency in 2000. Growth was swift for SMART and by 2010 it was Australia’s largest independent Trans-Tasman agency, with big-name companies like Coca-Cola, McDonald’s and Unilever on its client list.

Running an independent agency like SMART had its challenges, as Ben explains, “We had grown rapidly because we had great ambitions for our clients, and also great ambitions for our own business, both creatively and also in terms of growth. It was still evolving, but there was a whole raft of challenges ahead of us. We had just under 100 people across Australia and New Zealand, and to try and grow to a 200-person agency came with a lot of challenges.”
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Friday night was one to remember for the McCann Australia offices, taking home tonnes of steel at the prestigious Spikes Asia Awards 2016.

The Australian’s brought home a total of 11 Spikes, a GOLD, four SILVERS and six BRONZE – a great result from the team’s collective 18 shortlists and also a first, having every Australian office in the running (Melbourne, Sydney and Queensland) on the night.

The GOLD spike was awarded for McCann Melbourne’s work on the Melbourne International… Show more

Friday night was one to remember for the McCann Australia offices, taking home tonnes of steel at the prestigious Spikes Asia Awards 2016.

The Australian’s brought home a total of 11 Spikes, a GOLD, four SILVERS and six BRONZE – a great result from the team’s collective 18 shortlists and also a first, having every Australian office in the running (Melbourne, Sydney and Queensland) on the night.

The GOLD spike was awarded for McCann Melbourne’s work on the Melbourne International Film Festival for ‘The Emotional Trailer’ campaign, taking the top gong in the Data Visualisation category.

The SILVER of the evening came for McCann Melbourne’s ‘Free Puppies Forever’ campaign for Vision Australia under the PR – Audience Targeting and Engagement category.

And the SILVERS just kept on coming, with another two for McCann Melbourne’s ‘The Emotional Trailer’ for the Melbourne International Film Festival (in ‘Use of Technology’, ‘Ambient Use of Digital Technology’ and ‘Use of New Technology’ categories). And a fourth SILVER came in for the Melbourne office’s work on the ‘Free Puppies Forever’ campaign for Vision Australia.

The night ended on a high with no less than five BRONZE gongs for McCann Melbourne’s work on the Melbourne International Film Festival’s ‘The Emotional Trailer’ campaign, winning in the Digital, Digital Craft, Media and Outdoor categories.

The Spikes wins finished off a successful week for the McCann Australia team, with news earlier in the week that McCann made history as it was announced as a shortlist for the B&T Media Agency of the Year, as well as being shortlisted for the State Agency of The Year (VIC).

The region’s most prestigious awards for creative communications, Spikes Asia rewards the best entries in Film, Print, Outdoor, Radio, Digital, Direct, Promo & Activation, Media, Design, Film Craft, Print & Poster Craft, Integrated, Mobile, PR, Innovation and Healthcare. Show less

Creative agency McCann Australia is entering the PR space, aligning with PR agency Red Republic which has offices in Brisbane and Sydney and boasts clients such as Domino’s Pizza, Suncorp Insurance and Lorna Jane.

Speaking with Mumbrella, Ben Lilley, chairman, McCann Worldwide Australia, said: “Firstly in terms of the work we’re doing with the Red Republic, we’ve been active in Queensland for quite some time but probably in a smaller capacity. We’ve been looking for ways to increase our… Show more

Creative agency McCann Australia is entering the PR space, aligning with PR agency Red Republic which has offices in Brisbane and Sydney and boasts clients such as Domino’s Pizza, Suncorp Insurance and Lorna Jane.

Speaking with Mumbrella, Ben Lilley, chairman, McCann Worldwide Australia, said: “Firstly in terms of the work we’re doing with the Red Republic, we’ve been active in Queensland for quite some time but probably in a smaller capacity. We’ve been looking for ways to increase our reach and capabilities in the Queensland market because we see huge opportunities up there.

The addition of social media, PR, experiential and design expertise follows on from McCann adding media services in August 2015.

McCann will be offering Red Republic’s expertise as part of the agency’s integrated offering through its Sydney, Melbourne, Gold Coast and Brisbane offices.

“Just as last year we formalised how we have been offering media services to our clients, this is an opportunity to formalise the ways in which we’re amplifying our message through PR, events and promotions by extending the services that Red Republic offers to our entire national client base,” he said.

“We’ll collaborate as necessary but they will continue to run the business as usual, as will we. In the Queensland market, in particular, that’s where we see much stronger opportunities to pitch together because there’s a huge amount of growth in Queensland due to the nature of that market,” Lilley said.

“What McCann can do with the Red Republic in Queensland is to build something very unique to the Brisbane and the Gold Coast markets. Other than that, it’s business as usual for McCann and for the Red Republic.” Show less

McCann Australia has boosted its media capabilities with a number of new recruits, including four senior appointments across Sydney and Melbourne as it continues to grow its integrated offering.

The appointments follow 12 months of solid growth for the agency's media services, which include planning, buying and data capabilities and recent win of Australian Unity's media account, worth $5 million in billings. National media billings for McCann Australia are now approaching $100 million… Show more

McCann Australia has boosted its media capabilities with a number of new recruits, including four senior appointments across Sydney and Melbourne as it continues to grow its integrated offering.

The appointments follow 12 months of solid growth for the agency's media services, which include planning, buying and data capabilities and recent win of Australian Unity's media account, worth $5 million in billings. National media billings for McCann Australia are now approaching $100 million.
In Sydney, Lyndell Sawyer (above, left) has joined as Head of Media, leading the agency's burgeoning media team across clients such as Defence Housing Australia, Universities Australia and Greenstone Financial Services.

Says Ben Lilley, chairman and CEO, McCann Worldgroup: "As McCann continues to grow its media capabilities and integrated offering in response to client demand, expanding our team and bringing in the right skills becomes increasingly important. In these brilliant new hires we have found the right mix of skills and knowledge to continue to further strengthen our rapidly growing national media and data offering."

McCann Australia's media clients include Australian Unity, AGL Energy, Hollard, Defence Housing Australia, BIC, Universities Australia, University of Melbourne, Plunkett Homes Group, Greenstone Financial Services, Melbourne Airport and Metro Trains among others. Show less

AdFest has announced that Ben Lilley, chairman and CEO of McCann Worldgroup Australia, is joining the line-up at AdFest 2016.

Lilley presides over one of the region's most awarded agencies, McCann Australia - the agency behind the multi-award winning 'Dumb Ways to Die' campaign of 2012. Lilley will present a session titled: 'Is the Creative Team Dead? Or has it just been hipsterized?' on Friday 18th March at 4pm.

Says Lilley: "Technology has disrupted everything, including now, it… Show more

AdFest has announced that Ben Lilley, chairman and CEO of McCann Worldgroup Australia, is joining the line-up at AdFest 2016.

Lilley presides over one of the region's most awarded agencies, McCann Australia - the agency behind the multi-award winning 'Dumb Ways to Die' campaign of 2012. Lilley will present a session titled: 'Is the Creative Team Dead? Or has it just been hipsterized?' on Friday 18th March at 4pm.

Says Lilley: "Technology has disrupted everything, including now, it seems, the creative team. Or has it? Just as there's 'no I in team', there's no 'I' in technology either. Agency teams remain as vital as ever to developing original, compelling and effective ideas."
So has the creative team really changed? This session will examine what exactly a successful agency team should look like these days.

Lilley started out as a creative with some of Australia's most respected agencies, including George Patterson, McCann and DDB, before launching his own agency SMART in 2000.

Described by AdNews as "one of the best known independent advertising success stories in Australia", SMART was recognised in the AdNews and B&T Agency of the Year, Employer of the Year, Cannes Lions, Effies, Clios, New York Festivals, BRW Fast100 and numerous other global award shows.

In 2011, SMART was acquired by McCann Worldgroup and Lilley was appointed Australian chairman and CEO. Within two years, McCann made Australian history as the world's most awarded agency in the The Gunn Report, Won Report and AdAge Awards Report.

The agency's campaigns include "Dumb Ways to Die" for Metro Trains, which in 2013 was named the most awarded campaign in Cannes Lions history and one of AdAge's Top 15 Ad Campaigns of The 21st Century.

In 2014, the agency was awarded its 6th Cannes Grand Prix for V/Line "Guilt Trips". And in 2015 McCann was Australia's top ranked agency (and 6th in the world) in the global Warc 100 creative effectiveness rankings. Show less

Back in 2005, for The Annual, AdNews asked industry figures to predict what the state of play would be in a decade.

We revisit the predictions of Ben Lilley – who graced the cover of our 2005 Annual - from a decade ago, and see how the then founder of national independent agency Smart and now CEO of McCann Australia faired.

One thing Lilley was adamant about then and now, is the importance of creativity in the advertising industry.

At the time, he said that “agencies that… Show more

Back in 2005, for The Annual, AdNews asked industry figures to predict what the state of play would be in a decade.

We revisit the predictions of Ben Lilley – who graced the cover of our 2005 Annual - from a decade ago, and see how the then founder of national independent agency Smart and now CEO of McCann Australia faired.

One thing Lilley was adamant about then and now, is the importance of creativity in the advertising industry.

At the time, he said that “agencies that continue to add value to clients' brands with smart ideas will be the super agencies of the future”. A decade on, Lilley's opinion hasn't changed.

“In what is often the highly fragmented industry that we now work in, a lot of creative agencies, and frankly, a lot of clients still lose sight of the importance of creativity first and foremost to really just inspire and excite, or even just get the attention of consumers,” Lilley told AdNews about the present state of the industry.

“The truth is, most advertising is still terrible, most brands are bland and boring and more advertising spend, by extension, is just wasted money.

“No matter how the industry continues to evolves, my one hit prediction for the next millennia is that creativity will continue to remain the single most important product of any agency, and the single most important thing that any client should be seeking from their agency.”

Back in 2005, Lilley along with John Mescall and Ash Farr were still running independent agency Smart. The reverse takeover of the agency by McCann would happen in 2011 and see the trio turnaround the fortunes of the then-ailing multinational.

While the Lilley of 2005 saw a clear delineation between ideas and execution occurring in creative agencies of the future, Lilley of 2015 doesn’t think the reality is that far removed. Show less

Australia has ranked #3 in the Warc 100, a global ranking of marketing campaigns based on performance in effectiveness and strategy competitions.

McCann Melbourne is the most awarded Australian agency with the agency being named three times. Metro Trains' 'Dumb Ways To Die' ranked #18, V/Line's 'Guilt Trips' ranked #19 and Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation's '100 Day Challenge' ranked #76.

McCann Melbourne’s “Dumb Ways to Die” tapped into two elements that are loved almost universally: catchy music and cute cartoon characters. Add some really black humor into the mix and you get the beginnings of a cult classic.

The client, Melbourne’s Metro Trains, didn't want a typical gloom-and-doom public service ad. McCann decided to go down the route of entertainment, writing some hilarious lyrics to a song about all the dumb ways to die—such as poking a grizzly bear, selling both… Show more

McCann Melbourne’s “Dumb Ways to Die” tapped into two elements that are loved almost universally: catchy music and cute cartoon characters. Add some really black humor into the mix and you get the beginnings of a cult classic.

The client, Melbourne’s Metro Trains, didn't want a typical gloom-and-doom public service ad. McCann decided to go down the route of entertainment, writing some hilarious lyrics to a song about all the dumb ways to die—such as poking a grizzly bear, selling both your kidneys on the internet or using your privates as piranha bait—to underline the message that you need to be safe around trains because one of the dumbest ways to die is to get hit by one.

The resulting song launched via iTunes, radio, YouTube and more. Within 24 hours of its launch in November 2012, the “Dumb Ways to Die” song reached the top 10 chart of iTunes. But it was the YouTube video that really sealed this campaign’s fate.

The campaign also included posters and ambient displays that proved fodder for Instagram and social media. For example, passers-by could shoot themselves alongside the campaign's characters and press a giant button to take the pledge to be safer around trains.

And to ensure longevity, McCann continued to take the campaign into new areas–cuddly toys based on the characters, a mobile app, even an educational book. The latest iteration is an extremely popular mobile game, which as an iPhone app hit No. 1 in 53 markets and became the top iPad app in 81 countries, according to data from App Annie. As Judge Jimmy Smith, chairman, CEO, CCO at Amusement Park Entertainment, points out: “The campaign is two years old and I’m still singing it. Pharrell can’t even do that!”

The campaign’s accolades included Best of Show at the One Show and Grand Trophy in the 2013 New York Festivals International Advertising Awards. And, famously, it became the most awarded campaign in the history of Cannes (with 28 Lions, including the five Grands Prix). Show less

The first signs of a turnaround at McCann came not by way of its towering New York headquarters but from this Australian bayside outpost. In 2012, McCann Melbourne’s “Dumb Ways to Die,” a rail-safety campaign, quickly went viral, generating in its first two weeks more than 700 media impressions and $50 million worth of free global mentions, all for an animated public service effort that cost a fraction of a standard TV ad to produce. The previously under-the-radar office became, in 2013, the… Show more

The first signs of a turnaround at McCann came not by way of its towering New York headquarters but from this Australian bayside outpost. In 2012, McCann Melbourne’s “Dumb Ways to Die,” a rail-safety campaign, quickly went viral, generating in its first two weeks more than 700 media impressions and $50 million worth of free global mentions, all for an animated public service effort that cost a fraction of a standard TV ad to produce. The previously under-the-radar office became, in 2013, the industry’s most-awarded agency, taking home a record five Cannes Lions Grand Prix and bringing some much-needed attention to a global network undergoing its own reinvention. The office’s success follows the acquisition of indie shop Smart three years ago, which added some of the country’s best talent to the McCann ranks. “The creative focus since 2011 has been on solving clients’ problems first and creating work that not only makes brands famous but has a lasting impact on pop culture around the world,” says Pat Baron, ecd.

Adrian Mills, managing director; Pat Baron, ecd; and Ben Lilley, chairman/CEO, photographed on Hosier Lane by Lynton Crabb. Show less

McCann Australia has finally proven itself as a strong agency three years after the reverse takeover of independent agency Smart, CEO Ben Lilley, has told Mumbrella.

In September 2011 McCann acquired Smart, a move which saw the departure of McCann Australia CEO and chairman Chris Mort who was replaced by Smart CEO Lilley.

“We probably finished the business transformation phase two years ago now. Frankly, it was a difficult six months or so that followed in the work that we had to… Show more

McCann Australia has finally proven itself as a strong agency three years after the reverse takeover of independent agency Smart, CEO Ben Lilley, has told Mumbrella.

In September 2011 McCann acquired Smart, a move which saw the departure of McCann Australia CEO and chairman Chris Mort who was replaced by Smart CEO Lilley.

“We probably finished the business transformation phase two years ago now. Frankly, it was a difficult six months or so that followed in the work that we had to do in reinventing what had been a very traditionally run and structured agency in Australia that was perhaps more of a global outpost for a lot of the multinational clients,” said Lilley.

“It was not a successful contemporary competitor in the Australian landscape. The agency’s creative record at that time demonstrates that. It was not as strong as it should have been from a strategic point of view or in terms of the digital offering.

“We had a pretty difficult first six months in restructuring the entire business, modernising the structure, dismantling the traditional hierarchical layers of management in the business that were holding it back from being able to move forward and thrive as a much more contemporary agency. That was a pretty difficult and not very enjoyable experience.”

The business transformation saw the team “reinvigorate” the agency’s national structure and national leadership, with Ash Farr operating as national McCann CEO and John Mescall as national ECD.

It has culminated in the agency’s success at the Cannes Lions festival last year with the Dumb Ways to Die campaign and again this year, with the agency picking up a Grand Prix in the effectiveness category for its Guilt Trips for V/Line campaign, and its Effies effectiveness success which sees the agency ranked 14th on the Asia Pacific most effective agencies ranking. In February, the agency tied for first place with Nike’s agency Wieden Kennedy Portland in The Gunn Report. Show less

In this guest post, McCann Worldgroup boss Ben Lilley shares what he learned about storytelling by hanging out with Virgin founder Richard Branson on Necker Island.

‪We are an industry awash with “storytelling”. Everyone’s a storyteller and every brand has its story to tell. So where are all the great brand stories?

‪Storytelling is not the problem here. For all of us seeking to create meaningful connections with information-saturated consumers, the art of storytelling – and its… Show more

In this guest post, McCann Worldgroup boss Ben Lilley shares what he learned about storytelling by hanging out with Virgin founder Richard Branson on Necker Island.

‪We are an industry awash with “storytelling”. Everyone’s a storyteller and every brand has its story to tell. So where are all the great brand stories?

‪Storytelling is not the problem here. For all of us seeking to create meaningful connections with information-saturated consumers, the art of storytelling – and its power to move and persuade – is more essential than ever. The problem is that most brand stories are just not that interesting, or not being told very well. Or both. Yes, yes, there are notable exceptions. But there are precious few consistently great brand storytellers. And in my book, there are none better than Sir Richard Branson.

‪So you can imagine my ohmygod! ohmygod! joy at being invited to join Richard and a group of business, community and creative thought leaders at his home on Necker Island, for the Virgin Unite Igniting Change Leadership Gathering. Run by Australian charity Igniting Change over five inspiring days, the Leadership Gathering explores how business, government and the social sector can better work together. This year’s theme “Inspiring Stories, Inspiring Change” examined the power of stories and how storytelling can be harnessed to promote positive change.

‪Few are better qualified to lead a conversation like this than Richard. He is a pioneer in leveraging earned and owned media, since long before there was any such distinction. And he is a great advocate for creative storytelling in business. Show less

The executive chairman of one of the most awarded advertising agencies of the past year says the industry’s new- found fascination with data is becoming a distraction for some marketers.

Ben Lilley runs McCann Worldgroup Australia, which this week won a prestigious grand prix award through its Melbourne agency at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

The agency’s “Guilt Trips” campaign, designed to boost patronage on V/Line regional trains in Victoria, won in the… Show more

The executive chairman of one of the most awarded advertising agencies of the past year says the industry’s new- found fascination with data is becoming a distraction for some marketers.

Ben Lilley runs McCann Worldgroup Australia, which this week won a prestigious grand prix award through its Melbourne agency at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

The agency’s “Guilt Trips” campaign, designed to boost patronage on V/Line regional trains in Victoria, won in the creative effectiveness category.

McCann Melbourne was also responsible for “Dumb Ways to Die”, which swept last year’s event, picking up five grand prix awards, 18 gold Lions, three silver and two bronze, making it the most awarded campaign in Lions’ history.

Big data, which can used by advertisers to better target consumers, has been a buzz term at this year’s festival but Lilley has warned creative agencies not to be consumed by the new technology. Show less

McCann Melbourne has added to its burgeoning trophy cabinet with its Guilt Trips for V/Line campaign picking up the Creative Effectiveness award, however last year’s success story Dumb Ways to Die missed out altogether.

The McCann campaign for train line V/Line allowed parents from country towns to send pre-paid train tickets to their city-based kids saw an extra 160,000 trips home without discounting tickets. With a spend of $500,000 it returned $4m in off-peak rail travel.

Of… Show more

McCann Melbourne has added to its burgeoning trophy cabinet with its Guilt Trips for V/Line campaign picking up the Creative Effectiveness award, however last year’s success story Dumb Ways to Die missed out altogether.

The McCann campaign for train line V/Line allowed parents from country towns to send pre-paid train tickets to their city-based kids saw an extra 160,000 trips home without discounting tickets. With a spend of $500,000 it returned $4m in off-peak rail travel.

Of the V/Line campaign jury president David Sable said: “This insight was so fresh we want to form a company and take it to every train company in the world.”

He added: “It was really hard for us to come up for a Grand Prix, and our view of the Grand Prix was because the work was so good we wanted one piece that would prove the point. We think the piece we have chosen does just that. Show less

The Gunn Report 2013 has just been released, which shows that Australia is ranked #2 country in the world, its best ever ranking - behind the USA - up from #3 place in 2012.

McCann Melbourne was ranked the equal #1 agency in the world, tied with Wieden Kennedy (which counted Portland New York in its tally!). Clemenger BBDO (which included Melbourne Sydney) got its highest ever ranking coming in at #5 and George Patterson Y&R, Melbourne was ranked #9. Leo Burnett (Sydney Melbourne)… Show more

The Gunn Report 2013 has just been released, which shows that Australia is ranked #2 country in the world, its best ever ranking - behind the USA - up from #3 place in 2012.

McCann Melbourne was ranked the equal #1 agency in the world, tied with Wieden Kennedy (which counted Portland New York in its tally!). Clemenger BBDO (which included Melbourne Sydney) got its highest ever ranking coming in at #5 and George Patterson Y&R, Melbourne was ranked #9. Leo Burnett (Sydney Melbourne) was ranked equal 22, followed by Havas Worldwide, Sydney at equal 29.

McCann Melbourne's 'Dumb Ways To Die' campaign triumphed in the Film table and also took first place in digital, second place in All Gunns Blazing and third equal place in print. It is the most awarded campaign in the history of The Gunn Report. Show less

NEW YORK, Feb. 12, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- McCann Erickson was recognized in The Gunn Report 2013 for a number of first-place global rankings, including the most-awarded digital work of 2013 and the most-awarded agency in the world in 2013. While McCann Melbourne won the lion's share of the honors, McCann Madrid, McCann Oslo, McCann Mumbai and McCann New York all contributed to the winning rankings across the McCann network.

The Gunn Report analyzes and evaluates all of the winners from… Show more

NEW YORK, Feb. 12, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- McCann Erickson was recognized in The Gunn Report 2013 for a number of first-place global rankings, including the most-awarded digital work of 2013 and the most-awarded agency in the world in 2013. While McCann Melbourne won the lion's share of the honors, McCann Madrid, McCann Oslo, McCann Mumbai and McCann New York all contributed to the winning rankings across the McCann network.

The Gunn Report analyzes and evaluates all of the winners from what it regards as the world's most important advertising competitions and produces a global ranking of the most-awarded ad agencies, campaigns, clients and countries.

McCann Melbourne's digital work for Metro Trains and "Dumb Ways To Die" was the most-awarded digital work in the world in 2013, and the TV commercial for this campaign was ranked No. 1 globally. McCann Melbourne was ranked first, sharing the top spot, for the most-awarded agency in the world in 2013.

"Dumb Ways To Die" is now "the most-awarded Gunn Report campaign ever," the Gunn Report said.

McCann Erickson Worldwide also rose into the top five among "The Most Awarded Agency Networks in The World" in 2013, highlighted by recognition in Australia, India, New York, Norway and Spain. The top 5 ranking is the network's "highest ever ranking," according to The Gunn Report.

McCann Melbourne's combined work for Metro Trains and "Dumb Ways To Die" was ranked second in the "All Gunns Blazing" evaluation of all creative work in the world in 2013. McCann Melbourne was ranked third among the most-awarded digital agencies in the world in 2013. And McCann Melbourne's print work for Metro Trains and "Dumb Ways To Die" was the third most-awarded print work in the world in 2013. Show less

McCann Melbourne has been named the most awarded agency in the world by Advertising Age magazine's The Awards Report 2013, with its Dumb Ways to Die campaign for Metro Trains named most awarded campaign of the year.

The recognition tops a year that has seen McCann named Agency of the Year at D&AD, Spikes Asia and the London International Awards, as well as setting a new record at the Cannes Lions with 5 Grand Prix.

Says Ben Lilley, McCann Worldgroup CEO: "It's been an incredible… Show more

McCann Melbourne has been named the most awarded agency in the world by Advertising Age magazine's The Awards Report 2013, with its Dumb Ways to Die campaign for Metro Trains named most awarded campaign of the year.

The recognition tops a year that has seen McCann named Agency of the Year at D&AD, Spikes Asia and the London International Awards, as well as setting a new record at the Cannes Lions with 5 Grand Prix.

Says Ben Lilley, McCann Worldgroup CEO: "It's been an incredible year for McCann Australia. Over the past 12 months, we've received more than 200 trophies for no less than 15 different campaigns, for clients as diverse as Metro Trains, Google, Specsavers, V/Line and several Australian Government bodies, as well as key recognition for our Australian work on global clients like Mastercard and L'Oreal."

The Advertising Age Awards Report is determined from a cross-section of leading global industry awards shows, including Art Directors Club, Association of Independent Commercial Producers, the Andy Awards, the Cannes International Festival of Creativity, the Clios, D&AD, the One Show - and, added this year, the Webby Awards and the Festival of Media. Each award won is assigned a point value to determine the top 10 most decorated advertisers, agencies, campaigns, creative, networks, agency companies, directors and production companies.

Dumb Ways to Die facts:
Most awarded campaign in Cannes Lions history
Most shared PSA in history:
4,000,000 Facebook shares
200,000 Twitter shares
2,000 Blog posts
The campaign generated 1.86 million pledges from people to be safer around trains and saw a 20% reduction in rail-related accidents year-on-year
4th Most viral ad of all time
Charted on iTunes in 28 countries
Reported by over 750 global news websites
Earned media US$60,000,000 and rising Show less

SINGAPORE, Sept. 17, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- McCann Worldgroup Asia-Pacific was named "Network Of The Year" and McCann Melbourne was named "Agency Of The Year" at the 2013 Spikes Asia Festival of Creativity held tonight in Singapore. Spikes Asia is the equivalent of the Cannes Lions Festival for the entire Asia-Pacific region.

McCann Worldgroup agencies dominated the show and won 8 Grand Prix awards, 14 Gold Spikes, 11 Silver Spikes and 11 Bronze Spikes. This result was shared among McCann… Show more

SINGAPORE, Sept. 17, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- McCann Worldgroup Asia-Pacific was named "Network Of The Year" and McCann Melbourne was named "Agency Of The Year" at the 2013 Spikes Asia Festival of Creativity held tonight in Singapore. Spikes Asia is the equivalent of the Cannes Lions Festival for the entire Asia-Pacific region.

McCann Worldgroup agencies dominated the show and won 8 Grand Prix awards, 14 Gold Spikes, 11 Silver Spikes and 11 Bronze Spikes. This result was shared among McCann Worldgroup agencies in Shanghai, Mumbai, Malaysia, Singapore, Bangkok, the Philippines and Melbourne.

Harris Diamond, Chairman and CEO of McCann Worldgroup, said, "This is just an outstanding achievement for the McCann network across the fast-growing and highly innovative Asia-Pacific region. For our operation across the Asia-Pacific region to be named Network Of The Year is a thrilling and powerful recognition from our industry peers. I couldn't be prouder of all of our agencies. And we couldn't be happier for McCann Mumbai and McCann Melbourne."

"Dumb Ways To Die," the unstoppable pop-culture phenomenon from McCann Australia for Metro Trains Melbourne--who was named Advertiser Of The Year--was the night's most awarded campaign. McCann Worldgroup Mumbai was the second-most awarded agency in the network.

Charles Cadell, President Asia-Pacific, McCann Worldgroup said, "I am very pleased to see the success of the McCann Agencies in APAC this year. It is an impressive creative turn-around, with more agencies now contributing to our success than ever before. Melbourne is leading the charge but all our agencies now have the bit between the teeth. It's a good ride." Show less

AUSTRALIA'S McCann ad agency has claimed the most awarded ad in the history of the Cannes advertising festival, with its Dumb Ways To Die campaign finishing the festival with 32 Lions, including five Grand Prix awards, 18 gold, three silver and six bronze.

It is a remarkable turnaround for the Melbourne agency, which was on its knees 18 months ago before the team behind Dumb Ways To Die joined following the sale of their independent agency Smart to the global network… Show more

AUSTRALIA'S McCann ad agency has claimed the most awarded ad in the history of the Cannes advertising festival, with its Dumb Ways To Die campaign finishing the festival with 32 Lions, including five Grand Prix awards, 18 gold, three silver and six bronze.

It is a remarkable turnaround for the Melbourne agency, which was on its knees 18 months ago before the team behind Dumb Ways To Die joined following the sale of their independent agency Smart to the global network McCann.

Before Dumb Ways To Die's clean sweep, Australia's most acclaimed ad campaign was Tourism Queensland's Best Job in the World search for a caretaker for a paradise island from 2009.

The record haul for the offbeat campaign - a public service announcement for Metro Trains Melbourne - pushed Australia to a record performance at Cannes as the ad triumphed in the Film, Film Craft, Branded Content and Integrated Lions categories on Saturday.

The Australian-made advertisement featured animated characters being mauled, electrocuted, murdered and run over by trains, to educate young people about rail safety.

The campaign took the biggest advertising festival by storm after generating more than 50 million views on YouTube, a million online pledges and an estimated $60m in free media coverage.

John Hegarty, Film Lions jury president and founder of Bartle Bogle Hegarty, said the campaign "moved beyond advertising"​ and became part of the "social fabric"​.

"I think it's actually a very interesting new way of using television,"​ Mr Hegarty said. "Instead of relying upon a conventional 30-second spot to create something that is truly imaginative, Dumb Ways to Die captures people's imagination, and they in turn pass it on and become part of your media. It's a very cost-effective way of getting 70 million people." Show less

CANNES became McCANNES last night as McCann Melbourne celebrated the addition of two Grand Prix, three Gold Lions, a Silver and Bronze at last night's awards.

The official haul, which smashed previous record holder 'Best job in the world' - also from Australia via SapientNitro, Brisbane - is a staggering five Grand Prix, 18 Gold Lions, three Silver Lions and two Bronze.

DWTD was the most loved campaign of the week. During his acceptance speech when awarded the Lion of St Mark, ad… Show more

CANNES became McCANNES last night as McCann Melbourne celebrated the addition of two Grand Prix, three Gold Lions, a Silver and Bronze at last night's awards.

The official haul, which smashed previous record holder 'Best job in the world' - also from Australia via SapientNitro, Brisbane - is a staggering five Grand Prix, 18 Gold Lions, three Silver Lions and two Bronze.

DWTD was the most loved campaign of the week. During his acceptance speech when awarded the Lion of St Mark, ad legend Lee Clow said "I wish I did Dumb ways to Die', and fellow legend Dan Wieden said, "this is the campaign everyone here wishes they did" after it won the Integrated Grand Prix. Show less

After a decade building his own agency Smart into a successful indie, Ben Lilley brought his team into McCann Worldgroup and is now adjusting to life as a senior network man, he tells Claudine Capel.

Since launching Smart in 2000, Ben Lilley has built up a reputation as a doer, taking the agency from five people to 80 in just over eleven years, and servicing clients such as Coca-Cola, Tiger Airways, Specsavers and the federal governments in NSW, Queensland and Victoria.

Then last… Show more

After a decade building his own agency Smart into a successful indie, Ben Lilley brought his team into McCann Worldgroup and is now adjusting to life as a senior network man, he tells Claudine Capel.

Since launching Smart in 2000, Ben Lilley has built up a reputation as a doer, taking the agency from five people to 80 in just over eleven years, and servicing clients such as Coca-Cola, Tiger Airways, Specsavers and the federal governments in NSW, Queensland and Victoria.

Then last year he made the big decision to sell the business to McCann Worldgroup. Now Smart has been integrated as part of the global McCann network, with Lilley taking over as group CEO of McCann's agencies in Australia and New Zealand. "It's been a very busy eight or nine months," he smiles, reflecting on his time since October 2011 looking after McCann Erickson, McCann Healthcare, digital agency MRM and Smart. "It's completely different from independent agency land, in a lot of good ways."

With Smart thriving, most likely due to the nimble, 'can-do' approach that comes with an independent agency, it's a wonder Lilley chose to sell at all. Show less

McCann Erickson is the latest agency to ditch the tiered system of account managers, creative teams and production staffers in favour of a workforce of all-rounders. The changes are aimed at better serving its clients, which include Holden, Nestle and Coca-Cola.

McCann's incoming agency chief executive, Ben Lilley, has slashed middle and senior management roles in recent weeks, blaming the death of the traditional ad agency model for his decision and a desire to respond to creative… Show more

McCann Erickson is the latest agency to ditch the tiered system of account managers, creative teams and production staffers in favour of a workforce of all-rounders. The changes are aimed at better serving its clients, which include Holden, Nestle and Coca-Cola.

McCann's incoming agency chief executive, Ben Lilley, has slashed middle and senior management roles in recent weeks, blaming the death of the traditional ad agency model for his decision and a desire to respond to creative briefs faster.

''A clear delineation between suits, creative and production, is a very old-hat way of thinking about agencies,'' he said. ''Technology has forced our industry to evolve and obviously that means that agencies need to evolve as well. We are very excited to demonstrate the changes we've made.'' Show less

The boss of new-look McCann Australia, which merged with Smart last month, has said that “there is no future for traditional agencies in this market” after making sweeping changes to McCann’s management structure.

GLOBAL advertising giant McCann Erickson has positioned itself to become one of the biggest agencies in Australia after taking over successful local independent ad agency SMART.

McCann announced the deal yesterday after weeks of industry speculation about a possible takeover bid.

The move on SMART, for an undisclosed sum, has also led to a reverse management takeover, with SMART co-founder and chief executive Ben Lilley being appointed chief executive of the newly merged agency… Show more

GLOBAL advertising giant McCann Erickson has positioned itself to become one of the biggest agencies in Australia after taking over successful local independent ad agency SMART.

McCann announced the deal yesterday after weeks of industry speculation about a possible takeover bid.

The move on SMART, for an undisclosed sum, has also led to a reverse management takeover, with SMART co-founder and chief executive Ben Lilley being appointed chief executive of the newly merged agency group.

Mr Lilley takes over from Chris Mort, who was poached several years ago from STW group.

The new agency will be known as McCann Erickson Australia.

SMART, which was founded by Mr Lilley, executive creative director John Mescall and national planning director Ashley Farrv, has amassed a swag of blue chip clients including Adidas, ANZ News Limited, Coca-Cola, Dulux, Levis, Unilever and Vodafone.

The agency also has a number of accounts with government agencies. Show less

SMART is one of the best known independent advertising agency success stories in the country, so it’s no surprise that, in the nearly eight years since it launched, it’s had countless approaches from multi-nationals. But, so far, none have proved irresistible to SMART’s top brass. SMART was established as a strategic and creative alternative to traditional agency thinking. CEO Ben Lilley, ECD John Mescall and national planning director Ashley Farr all for-ged successful careers within… Show more

SMART is one of the best known independent advertising agency success stories in the country, so it’s no surprise that, in the nearly eight years since it launched, it’s had countless approaches from multi-nationals. But, so far, none have proved irresistible to SMART’s top brass. SMART was established as a strategic and creative alternative to traditional agency thinking. CEO Ben Lilley, ECD John Mescall and national planning director Ashley Farr all for-ged successful careers within multi-national agencies prior to launching SMART, giving the trio insight into how their competitors think and helping them grasp how best to forge a path on their own terms.

SMART begun by positioning itself as a youth agency, reflected in the fact that all three agency owners are under 40, but, as they have gotten older, the agency itself has shifted its focus higher, snaring brands with broader remits, such as News Limited and Unilever. Lilley admits he has had a number of approaches from companies interested in acquiring SMART. “I’m always happy to have a coffee and a chat with people and keep my options open for the future, but we’re just not ready to sell at the moment,” he says. “Who knows? Maybe when we’re old and grey we might want to sell, but not at this stage. We’re having too much fun.”

SMART isn’t suited to all brands, which is a big part of its success. The agency’s focus is mid-sized blue-chip challenger brands with billings of up to $10 million – often the brands neglected by larger multinationals. The model is obviously working. SMART broke through the $10 million revenue mark for the first time last year. The agency has an 86% pitch success rate, and last year delivered another year of sustained income growth, adding Ferrero (Kinder, Bueno, Nutella), Gourmet Garden, Jeanswest, McDonald’s and regular government work, both in NSW and federally. Other clients include Coca-Cola, News Limited and Unilever. Show less