Starting an agency in Australia is an appealing with Australia’s advertising economy forecast to grow by 10% to $A22.5 billion this year,
But with more than 9,000 advertising agencies in Australia as of 2022, an increase of 2.9% from 2021, the market is competitive.
In combination with current nationwide talent shortages and massive salary inflations, operating a successful agency in such a labour intensive landscape is no easy feat.
Which is why Milk+Honey had a lot to celebrate on its first birthday party at Sydney’s luxe french spot, Restaurant Hubert.
Milk+Honey delivers “the cream of advertising, strategy, PR, social, digital, design and experiential for today’s forward-thinking brands".
Milk+Honey Founders: Andy DiLallo & Steve Jackson
Milk+Honey Managing Director: Hazelle Klønhammer
AdNews spoke to Milk+Honey co-founders Andy Di Lallo and Steve Jackson, discussing ambition, recruitment and an anti-failure attitude.
Why establish Milk+Honey? What was the motivation?
"Freedom was our primary motivation, the ability to start with a clean slate instead of rebuilding an agency. We have both spent our entire careers successfully rebuilding things that already existed.
"For what will be our last chapter, we were drawn to all the possibilities of shaping something new from the ground up. We also felt there was a gap in the market for an agency creatively founded and led.
"Although we have loads of respect for all the disciplines inside a creative company, there just aren’t any in Australia left of note that are 100% creatively owned.
"We felt the most powerful thing we could do was double down on creativity while the trend from networks over the last few years has been to walk away from it by letting their most senior leadership go. Which is mind boggling for creative companies to do.
"However, it’s led to the rise of independents around the globe."
Who were your first clients? Are they still with you?
"Our very first campaign was for The One Club for Creativity - it was a huge honour to be invited to do the Global Call For Entries, a right that’s usually reserved for some of the top creative agencies in the world. Steve has also been invited to join the International Board for Creativity as the sole representative for Australia.
"Lion - James Squire - The new ‘Ordinary be damned’ brand platform and campaign was one of the biggest pieces we did over the last year.
"Sanitarium’s The Alternative Dairy Company and Rosemary Health who we continue to work with."
What makes you come into the office each day (or login virtually)?
"Our ambition is to prove what’s possible and what drives that is the passion for what we do. This has been the greatest and most rewarding thing we have been a part of.
"How we do it and for who, has been the real fuel for us every day. Like Milk + Honey our thinking is ‘Always Fresh’ and our ideas are ‘Always Sticky'."
Was there a moment when you thought it might not work?
"Never. You only fail when you quit and neither one of us is prepared to quit on our dreams or on each other."
Where is the business heading?
"Our trajectory has been quite steep and our focus has been on building something enduring and bringing on the right people at the right time, to deliver the very best work we possibly can along with our ambitious clients."
What are you hearing in the market at the moment? Is there still more work than people to do ?
"Like everyone we’ve heard there is a talent shortage, but you’ll find that if you’re doing great work great people are always available."
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