Smart (advertising agency)
 | |
| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Advertising |
| Founded | 2000 |
| Founders | Ben Lilley Paul Findlay John Mescall |
| Headquarters | |
Number of locations | 3 |
| Services | Brand Advertising, Communication Strategy, Social Media and Digital Services |
| Owner | Ben Lilley |
| Website | smartinc |
Smart is an Australian advertising agency with offices in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane launched in 2000. Over the next decade the business grew to become Australia's largest independent agency.
Overview
[edit]Smart was established by a group of ex-multinational agency professionals.[1] 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,.[2] He was named one of AdNews's forty top industry professionals under forty and his agency became the most awarded in the world.[3]
The founding partners were each under 30 when they set up the agency. Marketing magazine B&T named Smart the New Age ad agency in its Agency of the Year awards.[4]
In 2011, McCann Worldgroup acquired Smart and replaced the management of McCann Worldgroup Australia with the management team from Smart.[5] In 2020, Smart was acquired back from McCann Worldgroup by Ben Lilley, who runs it as an independent advertising agency once again today.[6]
Clients
[edit]Smart was appointed by Australian brand Mambo,[7] 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.[citation needed]
Awards
[edit]Smart was named B&T Agency of the Year[4] and has featured in the Business Review Weekly Fast100 list of Australia's fastest growing businesses.[8] The agency is known for taking a selective approach to its clients, focusing on blue-chip creative advertisers.[1] Smart's founders created the most awarded campaign in the history of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, Dumb Ways to Die.[9]
References
[edit]- 1 2 "Your next target". AdNews. 4 April 2008. 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.
- 1 2 "???". 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.
- ↑ "Mambo farewells its flatulent pooch". Sydney Morning Herald. 17 June 2004. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
- ↑ "Careers". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
- ↑ "Quirky 'Dumb Ways to Die' campaign sweeps advertising awards". Reuters. 24 June 2013. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
External links
[edit]| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
