Melissa Roberts established The Advertising Room in 2016 following a successful career in the communications and advertising industry, which saw her working in multiple countries.
The global experience was an opportunity that saw her work with talented people, running full service to creative and integrated, spending most of her time with the Dentsu Group and WPP.
She launched her independent agency, a member of the IMAA, to focus on her passion for working with clients in a more dedicated and tailored way.
Providing a personal touch has proven to be a significant strength for Roberts as The Advertising Room’s client base has only grown, with her founding clients still with her to this day, including Razor Scooters, SmarTrike and Just Play.
She noted that her agency is Australia’s first agency focusing on marketing and communications with kids and parents as their primary focus.
“We do have clients outside of that, but that has really been sort of the reason for The Advertising Room and being and where our capabilities and attraction has been in understanding kids and being careful of how you communicate to kids and being safe,” she added.
Like many agencies, The Advertising Room also felt the impact of Covid on the business, particularly on the retail and shipping side, as clients were cautious about spending.
Fortunately, they have bounced back well and are focused on their core offering for clients as normalcy returns.
Roberts noted that while there has been an uptick in business and new clients in the last six months, particularly in the outdoor and clothing space, client growth and retention has been meaningful.
“It’s not only about wins. It’s about retaining a client and buying a client, but also just growing existing clients,” she said.
Roberts runs her small, all-female team from Melbourne said: “It’s not based on anything specific. It’s just the way it’s fallen. I think it’s also just the way the category is when you’re looking at kids and parenting.
“It’s a very hands-on team. We have client relationships, and we serve their needs. We don’t serve as the P and L,” she added.
Looking to the year ahead, Roberts said there would be a heavier focus on innovation and expansion into the metaverse and gaming in the kids space.
“At the end of the day, kids will be kids, and they’ll choose their favourite character or their favourite influencer or the content they want to watch. It’s our job to help innovate, and how brands can remain relevant to families and kids.”
On the IMAA
The Advertising Room joined the IMAA in the middle of 2021 during Melbourne’s gruelling lockdown.
Roberts said it had been a positive experience and praised the association for providing members with access to incredible resources, informative weekly presentations, as well as a network of agencies.
“It’s just a really nice network. I’m very much for it. It’s been a great experience,” Roberts added.
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Top image: Melissa Roberts
