15 companies from the media, marketing and advertising sector makes the cut in AFR’s 2018 100 Most Innovative Companies in ANZ list
Fifteen companies from the media, marketing and advertising sector has made the cut in the AFR 2018 100 Most Innovative Companies in Australia and New Zealand list, as judged by the expert panel assembled by The Australian Financial Review and Inventium.
CHE Proximity leads the sector pack at #4 (including Best Marketing Innovation), followed by Expert 360 at #5, PHD at #6, Deloitte at #10, Sparro at #12, TRA at #28 (including Best Innovation Program), Ogilvy Australia at #30 and M&C Saatchi at #32 (including Best Innovation Culture).
Cashrewards is ranked #54, followed by GPJ is #55, Leo Burnett Australia at #64, OMD Australia at #69, Be Media at #97, Dentsu Aegis Network at #90 and Isobar Australia at #100.
The assessment measures a top innovation implemented in the past twelve months. Specifically, the judges look at how valuable the problem is that the innovation is solving, the quality and uniqueness of the solution, and the level of impact that the innovation has had. Inventium assesses internal elements such as innovation culture, strategy, resources and process, which demonstrate a sustainable and repeatable approach to innovation.
Says Dr Amantha Imber, CEO Inventium: “The field of entrants for the 2018 AFR Most Innovative Companies list is the highest quality we have seen in seven years of judging the list. Making the 2018 list is a massive achievement and signals that the organisation is not only producing highly impactful innovations, but also has a sustainable approach to growth.”
Says Caleb Bush, MD GPJ Australia: “It is increasingly clear that brands are not built on what they say or how they look, but on how they behave; and extraordinary experiences created at every touchpoint build deeper, longer lasting relationships.
“Customers want to see, touch, feel and experience a brand and it is through our strong focus on innovation-centric solutions and our culture of collaboration, exploration and bravery that we are able to provide the ultimate brand experiences. I am exceptionally proud of the entire team as we are recognised as one of the most innovative businesses across ANZ.”
Sparro was recognised for its internally developed, live artificial intelligence (AI) bidding platform for client campaigns. The platform, called AO for ‘always optimising’, is the first implementation of its kind, bringing advanced AI tech into the marketing industry.
“To be recognised on the AFR’s Most Innovative Companies list is a huge honour for us, testament our fantastic, forward-thinking people and more importantly, for an independent Australian agency,” Sparro co-founder and partner, Morris Bryant (pictured right with Cameron Bryant), said.
“We’ve always wanted to change the idea of the traditional agency model by recruiting people without a preconception of what an agency is and does. Cameron (Bryant) and I both studied degrees outside of marketing, so we aren’t interested in what experience or degrees applicants have – we just want to recruit the sharpest minds to help us grow our vision. So, we developed our own interview process that valued character, approach and potential over industry experience. We place value on problem-solving abilities and willingness to learn.”