Mediaweek held its inaugural Power Lunch in October, celebrating the successes of the media industry and the people who make it.
Ian Perrin, managing partner of The SPEED Agency, made #25 on the Agency 50 list. He spoke to Mediaweek about the agency’s “monumental effort” in 2022, accelerating the business performance of our clients and the year ahead for SPEED.
Mediaweek: Congratulations on making the #25 spot on our Mediaweek Agency 50 list. What was your reaction to your placement?
IP: Surprised. Proud. Happy. But mostly thankful that a team of wonderful humans at our little agency are making an impact on the industry in Australia.
MW: How does your position on the list reflect the achievements made by The Speed Agency?
IP: It’s a cliché but the success of SPEED has been a monumental team effort. And that effort has helped us win clients such as Colonial First State, Archie Rose, Clear Skincare, Elmo and Boody in the last year alone. So, it’s brilliant that their hard work has been recognised.
MW: What are three industry issues on your mind, and in your opinion, how can they be solved or achieved
IP: For me there is only one issue that is always on my mind, and that is how we accelerate the business performance of our clients. The rest is all peripheral. Solving that is about finding the right people, working hard and being relentlessly curious.
MW: What is your outlook for The Speed Agency in the year ahead?
IP: Our focus has always been more insular and product focused than most agencies, and we are not looking to change that at all. As a small, local independent agency, the only way we can win is by ensuring our product is demonstrably better than our competitors. So, if we keep doing that the rest will take care of itself.
MW: What are your hopes for the industry in 2023?
IP: The biggest trend in the media agency world is the growth of the indies, and so my hope is that continues. Some clients have realised that opaque deals, homogenised thinking, and formulaic plans are the legacy model, and the future requires transparency, dynamism and innovation. I hope more do the same in 2023!
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Top image: Ian Perrin