A ;decade on from the foundation of Spin Communications as a specialist advertising agency aimed at the youth market, the agency appears to be ageing along with its audience.
Spin forged a powerful brand in the area of youth communications under the guidance of founders Simon Lock, Simon Bookallil and Annalise Brown, as well as spinning off the Mercedes Australian Fashion Week brand.
However, the agency found that its image was being swamped by MAFW, and the annual fashion extravaganzas and the events were sold off to IMG earlier this year.
The move has positioned the agency to return to the driver’s seat, with plans in train for expansion into Asia.
« Above the line this year we won Portmans, we won Contiki and then we won Lee Jeans for Asia and Wrangler for Asia, » Bookallil says. He also claims Spin has not lost one client this year. « Below the line we have had tremendous growth in our PR division », including brands such as Visa, Castrol and GIO.
Co-founder Brown says the latest clients reflect a new direction for the agency: « These are not traditional Spin clients. »
Bookallil says the agency is able to tap into new clients in fragmenting markets.
« I think the answer is our philosophy of understanding the fractured market and media out there and understanding how to get to the consumer who is now being smothered by fractured media, » he says.
« Because the youth market that we started working with many years ago was all getting them to use fractured media, we became experts in the integrated field and how to target specific consumers using all types of disciplines. »
Bookallil says it is a reflection of the market growing with the agency, although he warns that Spin will continue to position itself first as a specialist in youth marketing.
« We are not just tracking with them but also investing in making sure we are connected with that youth consumer as well, » he says. « We are not going to leave our roots but we feel that the market has changed tremendously. »
One example of the agency’s decision to embrace older markets was winning a project for GIO.
« We just launched a campaign for GIO which is 55-plus because they recognised that the older market was consuming media in the same way as the youth market now, » Brown says. « They are not sitting down to watch blocks of prime-time TV. They are reading different newspapers, online newsletters. Fifty-five is the new 25. »
How Spin ultimately identifies how to keep in touch with the baby boomers may prove interesting in itself.
In the past the agency has been responsible for marketing and PR campaigns as diverse as spray-painting Xbox logos on footpaths for the launch of the gaming console (raising the ire of local councils). Earlier this year it was the driving force behind a sudden « flash mob » appearance in Melbourne’s Federation Square promoting the movie The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy for Buena Vista.
On the signal of an SMS message, hundreds of people descended on the square and stood waving towels and screaming « Don’t panic » for one minute before disappearing into the surrounding streets.
While baby boomers are clearly a new market for the agency, it is Asia where its immediate focus lies.
« We have a plan in place and are looking for an expansion into Asia, » Bookallil says. « We have already worked with some clients in The Philippines and are talking to a couple of the retailers in Asia. »
He says March is the most likely date for the expansion with Hong Kong expected to be the base: « We think we have the contacts and the relations now to move up there. »
source: The Australian – Original text can found at http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,17492480%255E7582,00.html