A series focusing on agencies. This time we speak with Icon Agency.
Mission/Vision:
For people, with purpose. We want to be Australia’s independent agency of choice for purpose-led, integrated communications. We do this by making a positive impact on people’s lives, wherever they’re at on their journey, and minimising harm to the planet.
Who is responsible for running the agency?
We’re led by our founders, Joanne Painter and Chris Dodds. They are supported by a large Executive Leadership Team, made up of highly experienced professionals and leaders from across the communications, digital and creative industries.
What makes your Agency stand out?
Many ad agencies are only now recognising the power of creativity with conscience. We pioneered it. For over a decade, Icon has worked at the forefront of purpose-led communications and behaviour change.
We live at the intersection of earned media, advertising and digital marketing. Using multi-channel thinking we connect smart strategy and impactful ideas with user-driven tactics, technology and platforms.
This contemporary creative agency model allows us to deliver unified communications services across the entire audience journey – from awareness to changing individual behaviours, to providing digital, web and content services that provide depth and repeated engagement. Powering everything is our multi-award-winning PR and reputation team – an integral part of Icon’s connected creativity.
We’re always evolving and expanding. Recently, we opened The Content Garden in our neighbourhood of Cremorne, a purpose-built content production studio for producing on-demand snackable social media, digital and broadcast content. We’ve also stood up a Metaverse and AI lab that is actively exploring Web 3.0 technologies and their impact on Australia’s creative industry.
Team size:
85+ with a common purpose.
Who are the founders?
Joanne Painter and Chris Dodds.
Description of what the agency does:
We exist to solve complex communication challenges and help people progress. We use technology and humanity in equal measure to best serve our clients’ needs across PR, digital and creative services. We have four offices across Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra.
Special Expertise:
Icon’s vision is underpinned by diversified capabilities, data and technology. We specialise in five key sectors: technology, health, education, digital transformation and government. Our team spans strategic communications, media relations, digital marketing, CX and UX, development, creative, branding, advertising and content. It’s a potent mix that allows Icon to deploy earned-media-centric campaigns that are highly creative, interdisciplinary and omni-channel.
Significant clients:
Salesforce, Medibank/Amplar Health, Schneider Electric, ADP, the Department of Home Affairs, the Department of Health, the Department of Defence, the National Disability Insurance Service and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Recent Campaigns:
● Still Six Lives: Icon Agency was tasked with creating and executing a national awareness and education campaign to lift the lid on the hidden tragedy of stillbirth.
● IBAC: Icon Agency partnered with The Independent Broad-based Anti-Corruption Commission (IBAC) to design a targeted creative communications campaign to increase awareness of their police oversight role within regional Victoria, with a specific focus on LGBTIQA+ and CALD communities.
● NDIS Commission website: Icon Agency was appointed to co-design and redevelop the Commission’s new Drupal 9 CMS website, as well as improve the navigation and content structure to make it more intuitive and accessible.
Favourite campaign so far:
Icon Agency was engaged by the Alcohol and Drug Foundation to lead a multi-staged integrated communications campaign that would help encourage Australians to be mindful of their drinking at home and engage in more positive, healthy behaviours.
After debating over a number of creative territories, we settled on one that got to the heart of the issue in an engaging and interesting way. We knew this was a serious topic, however, approaching day-to-day alcohol use in a stern and informative way would only push our audience away. Instead, we embedded a serious message in a humorous advert with an important message.
This creative execution was supported by highly visible PR and media engagement, pushing the video and story out to a number of news outlets and achieving over 800 editorial mentions and a maximum PR reach of 125M in just three weeks across Tier one print and broadcast as well as trade media.
What do you like about being an independent?
For Icon, independence is a state of mind.
Icon is free from the constraints and directives of global holding companies – making us nimble and more responsive to new challenges and opportunities. We’re free to choose the clients and briefs that align with our ethics. And free to combine creativity, craft and conscience to shape solutions to complex communications challenges.
Over COVID, being independent was our superpower, enabling us to expand nationally, open new markets and launch new services as opportunities arose.
The biggest challenge and the biggest opportunity the industry and your Agency faces this year?
Icon has navigated an enormous period of change as we grew from a team of 35 to close to 90 over the last two and half years. The biggest challenge has been ensuring our systems and processes are able to scale with us, and supply insights into new opportunities for growth. One thing never changes – that people and purposeful work remain at the heart of every decision we make.
For our industry, Icon continues to build awareness around purpose-led creativity and the power of ideas to benefit the world. We lead from the front, through exemplary work, presenting on ‘Creativity with Purpose’ at industry conferences, elevating purpose-led work through award programs, and sharing thought leadership in trade media.
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