Indie agencies sharply lifted their profile at last week’s NZDM Awards, picking up a total of 30 awards, to sit nicely alongside the bigger agencies’ score of 58.
Chemistry Interaction picked up a record 16 awards across five clients last week, Done By Friday and SpeakData each picked up seven, proving that the indies are punching well above their weight.
Chemistry picked up seven Golds for Best Loyalty Programme, Financial Services, CRM Multi-Channel, Direct Response, Excellence in Data Strategy, Excellence in Strategy and Customer & Market Insight and Innovation, with a further Gold in the Industry Financial Services category and nine Silver and Bronze awards across categories ranging from Retail and Communications to Utilities and Travel & Leisure.
Done By Friday picked up a total of seven awards, including four Golds for Gareth Morgan Investments. SpeakData did equally as well with New Zealand Cricket picking up five Golds and two Bronzes.
Chemistry co-founder/director Mike Larmer said: “One of the most exciting things coming out from last week’s awards was how well indie agencies are still performing as a category compared to the big guys. That’s a really healthy trend for our industry and we’re proud to be part of it.”
Done By Friday MD Boyd Wason said: “The over-achievement comes down to senior talent being more engaged and committed to thinking beyond the expected approach. And as we’re specialists, our level of expertise is always going to be ahead of the curve.
Chemistry’s Joseph Silk (like Larmer, a co-founder and director of the company) said: “We tend to approach things differently to the way the big agencies do.
“We have a philosophy called ‘joined-up thinking’, which is at the heart of everything we do. It means we apply our smarts in a way that always connects the client’s business pain* points with its customer experience, creating a strategic view on how creativity, media channel, technology and data can advance their objectives.
“It’s a lean and agile approach that has fuelled our growth from day one and it’s fantastic that we’re getting recognised for it.”
Hard yards
Chemistry CDs Pat Murphy and Susan Young said it was a great achievement for the agency and its clients. “And just as importantly, great for our fellow indies. Having several successful indie agencies being recognised for the hard yards is fantastic.’
- Pain points? These are what keep a client up at night; the things that make their job hard.
- Earlier M+AD report here (with a focus on the bigger agencies)
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