Howatson+Company has been in operation for the past two years and has grown exponentially.
The independent agency has two locations – Sydney and Melbourne – and a full-time team of 115 people.
Sasha Smith, Howatson+Company’s head of media, leads the media offering from strategy to reporting across our clients. She spoke to Mediaweek about the agency’s Intersectional Creativity, growth in the last year and the outlook for 2023.
Howatson+Company’s growth over the years
Smith shared that the agency has been fortunate to have grown so quickly thanks to its focus on senior talent on the tools and the benefit of trusted relationships from experience that has followed the agency.
The agency’s hard work for its clients has resulted in plenty of recognition from media trade publications and the industry.
Among Howatson+Company’s clients is a diverse mix of Australian and International businesses, such as Allianz, Belong, Qantas Frequent Flyer, Colonial First State, MYOB, GMHBA, DoorDash, University of New South Wales, Domain, Petbarn, Greencross Vets and more.
Howatson+Company’s specialisation
Smith noted that Howatson+Company’s operating model is what they call Intersectional Creativity.
“Essentially, we have six capability practices – Brand, Experience, Technology, Data, Media, Influence – it’s the interconnection of these practices which creates impact on the consumer and growth for our clients,” she explained.
“Hegerty once said advertising is 80% idea, 80% execution. We’ve hacked that somewhat to suggest effective communications is 80% idea, 80% craft, and 80% orchestration. It’s an acknowledgement that how and where the idea lives in the world is often as influential as the idea itself,” she said.
Smith noted that having these practices “live” from day one means each practice has grown equally.
“Tech and experience is 35% of our business. It means we have critical scale expertise as well as the cultural normality of thinking in this way. New people join and love how many ‘toys’ there are to create a modern style of communications,” she added.
Client wins and the agency performance in 2022
Smith noted that the agency has been lucky to still have its foundational clients Belong media strategy and Charter Hall, in addition to new clients University of New South Wales and our most recent win, UNICEF Australia.
Looking back at the agency’s performance last year, Smith proudly noted that Howatson+Company grew our revenue by 15% month on month in 2022 and onboarded 80 new staff across our Sydney and Melbourne campuses.
The agency in 2023 and being part of the IMAA
The year ahead is shaping up to be another exciting one for Howatson+Company, according to Smith.
“We’re getting ready to release our bespoke SaS production products that allow us to spend more time on value-creating work and less time on functional work. And we’re still growing and hiring,” she added.
Howatson+Company joined the IMAA in March last year. Smith said that the agency appreciates the spotlight the industry body provides in driving the capabilities and benefits for clients that independent agencies can deliver.
“The opportunities to network and learn alongside other indie media agencies has been an awesome experience, and we can’t wait to see this continue to grow,” Smith added.
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Top image: Sasha Smith
