Hi all!
What a year! Each year certainly feels bigger than the last – we guess that’s business growth for you! Although, this year for us has more accurately been about stabilisation. Bunkering down after the last couple of years facing global crises, macroeconomic distress, and continued shifts in the general business & employment climate. We’ve all felt it. We consider ourselves fortunate to be here still, stronger than ever and optimistic for 2024…
This year marked a significant milestone for us: two years since the merger between Menace Group and Advantage Media Group! A momentous occasion that saw us ride a wave of trials and tribulations through COVID, but man, have we come out thriving!
Here’s just a snapshot of some of the amazing things to celebrate from the year that is/was 2023:
On the marketing side of the business:
We’ve established vibrant new relationships with exciting up-and-coming brands, local and international, and maintained a strong tenure with our long-standing client base. Highlights include working with Steinbok, a local 25+yr business in the liqueurs space, and FluidKraft, a heavy industrial brand we’ve built from the ground up. We’ve also elevated brands like Herbs of Gold and Canterbury Bankstown Council, taking their web presence to new heights. Every month we have the pleasure of driving the marketing efforts of more than 20 clients.
And as for our creative projects arm:
This year has been filled with our biggest, most exciting, most technical & most creative projects. We worked closely with Sutton Tools, a 100-year-old business, to build a material cutting calculator, a task that was as challenging as it was rewarding. Mojo Surf School, epitomising “surf culture”, has been another standout project. We’ve celebrated multiple team tenure anniversaries, from 1 year to 10 years, and even the births of babies! Our community connections on the Central Coast have been a highlight, fostering relationships in this beautiful part of the East Coast where we live, work, and play. We’re proud to say that we’ve completed over 50 projects for a diverse group of clients, each with their own unique needs, and have continued to push the bar higher in our creative output.
Of course, the bulk of the credit goes to you, the client, for doing truly amazing work. For pushing ahead into uncharted territory. As business owners, every day has its uncertainty, hardship, and even a few borderline mental-breakdown-inducing moments (or was that just us?) We value every one of you as our clients, literally both the purpose and the vehicle by which this agency exists.
As for our team:
We’ve had our website and design gun, Navia, plant herself in Vienna, working remotely and making us more than a little jealous, working closely with our fav Melbournian developer Liam from the other side of the world. We’ve had Ginny and Joanna moving up into new and improved roles to see our brand & content and business process departments levelled up in kind. We have seen our fulfilment team solidified as “Channel Champions”, cementing their position as experts and specialists in their craft: RJ, Chim, Francis, Bianca and Trish. Donna, Head of Experience, has been integral to the momentum all departments have experienced this year, and Josh, Senior Marketing Manager, has been an absolute gun, working alongside Kevin and pushing/managing some major strategic initiatives. Creative Director Cam has not only continued to push the creative bar higher but has thrown himself into the world of AI and building yet more design systems to maximise our quality and efficiency.
Kev and I have also formalised our own roles as CSO (Chief Strategy Officer) and CEO respectively, setting a clear new vision led by clearer roles, better leadership and a renewed commitment to leading a top-tier, ethical creative marketing agency.
Partnerships
This year we’ve also been intentional about building partnerships with like-minded industry peers, like our newfound partnership with SBM – a 50-year-old, Australia-wide marketing communications agency. Our partnerships have also extended to other agencies, content producers, developers and other professional service providers. We’re chuffed to be trusted as a preferred partner for a growing number of businesses in the “Wild West” that is the marketing industry.
Our Vision for 2024
2024 will be our most intentional year yet – we have outlined a clear roadmap with key initiatives around continuous improvement, growth, culture, social impact and so much more. Our focus on client experience continues to be paramount, and we embark on our journey to become a Certified BCorp – keeping on the radar for talented individuals and like-minded clients who share our vision and values.
To our team and our clients: I hope you all take some time to reflect on the year we’ve had, congratulate yourself for your triumphs and recharge for an even better year next one – whatever that looks like for you.
From our families to yours, we want to wish you all an incredible festive season. Fill it with an epic amount of cheer and goodwill towards others and thank you again for an amazing year!
Sam & Kevin
CEO & CSO & Co-Founders of Advantage Agency
