SMART is an independent Australian advertising agency with offices in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. SMART was launched in 2000 as a boutique creative agency. Over the next decade the business grew to become Australia's largest independent agency [1] and was described by AdNews Magazine as "one of the best known independent advertising agency success stories in the country".[2] SMART's founders created the most awarded campaign in the history of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity,[3] Dumb Ways to Die.
 | |
| Company type | Independently Owned Creative Agency |
|---|---|
| Industry | Advertising agency Marketing Branding |
| Founded | Sydney, Australia (2000) |
| Founders | Ben Lilley, Paul Findlay and John Mescall |
| Headquarters | |
Number of locations | 3 |
| Services | Brand Advertising, Communication Strategy, Social Media and Digital Services |
Agency principals
editSMART was established by a group of ex-multinational agency professionals seeking to create "a strategic and creative alternative to traditional agency thinking".[2] The agency's founding partners were Creative Directors Ben Lilley, Paul Findlay and John Mescall. Lilley is a media commentator, particularly in the area of youth marketing,.[4] He was named one of AdNews's forty top industry professionals under forty and his agency became the most awarded in the world.[5]
The founding partners were each under thirty when they set up the agency. Marketing magazine B&T named SMART "the New Age ad agency" in its Agency of the Year awards.[6]
In 2011, McCann Worldgroup acquired SMART and replaced the management of McCann Worldgroup Australia with the management team from SMART.[7] In 2020, SMART was reacquired back from McCann Worldgroup by Ben Lilley, who runs it as an independent advertising agency once again today.[8]
Clients and awards
editSMART was named B&T Agency of the Year[6] and has featured in the Business Review Weekly Fast100 list of Australia's fastest growing businesses.[9] The agency is known for taking a selective approach to its clients, focusing on "blue-chip" creative advertisers.[2]
SMART was appointed by Australian brand Mambo,[10] a client who had previously refused to work with advertising agencies. It has also undertaken several unconventional stunts, including sending dwarves to the headquarters of Peugeot in an effort to secure a spot on the car maker's agency pitch list. A stunt that involved agency staff disguising themselves as takeaway delivery drivers to post recruitment advertisements inside competing agencies also raised eyebrows.
References
edit- ^ Burrowes, Tim (16 June 2010). "Smart acquires The Foundry to become Australia's biggest independent agency". Mumbrella. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
- ^ a b c "Your next target". AdNews. 4 April 2008. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
- ^ "Quirky 'Dumb Ways to Die' campaign sweeps advertising awards". Reuters. 24 June 2013. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
- ^ "They've got the look". The Age. 20 April 2004. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
- ^ Murphy, Paige (3 February 2020). "Ben Lilley is the new owner of McCann Australia". AdNews. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
- ^ a b "B&T - Australia's leading title for the advertising, marketing, media and PR industries". B&T. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
- ^ Hicks, Robin (28 September 2011). "McCann confirms Smart acquisition, Lilley to replace Mort as CEO". Mumbrella. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
- ^ Wilkinson, Zoe (3 February 2020). "Former CEO Ben Lilley to acquire McCann Australia". Mumbrella. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
- ^ "Careers | Latest News & Analysis | The Australian Financial Review | AFR". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
- ^ "Mambo farewells its flatulent pooch". The Sydney Morning Herald. 17 June 2004. Retrieved 28 June 2021.