Howatson + Company crowned CB Agency of the Year ~ Its guiding principle? ‘Care Fiercely’

One independent creative agency has not only maintained an impressive streak of account wins but also won big at international award shows, attracted some of Australia’s best creative talent and named #1 Indie Agency in Australia at Cannes Lions. Howatson+Company is Campaign Brief Australian Agency of the Year.

From winning high-profile accounts like Honda, Tyro, Diageo, Selleys, iSelect, Sydney Jewish Museum, Airtasker and Outback Equipment – and most recently, Myer – to delivering over 400 campaigns, the agency has had an extraordinary year.

But what sets Howatson+ Company apart isn’t just the numbers — it’s the agency’s ethos. With a no house style approach, the agency prioritises intersectional creativity to drive commercial impact while shaping culture. Its guiding principle? “Care Fiercely”— a philosophy that blends human empathy with relentless ambition.

With an impressive 24 new clients onboarded in 2024 and a total gross value of $15.45 million in new business, Howatson+Company’s ability to attract brands was hard to beat. The agency also boasted a 95% client retention rate and 40% revenue growth in the past year.

So, what’s its secret?

Howatson+Company founder & CEO Chris Howatson attributes it to shared values and ambitions: “Great relationships require shared values and shared ambitions. When those belief systems are aligned, the result is trust and attraction. I think clients and agencies are looking for the same things. The challenge is always finding one another. We’ve been very lucky to find each other.”

For Howatson+Company, the agency/client relationship goes beyond business — it’s about deep alignment and mutual respect and the idea that great creativity starts with a strong culture of trust and safety.

“For creativity to flow (in any department) the brain must feel safe,” says Howatson. “At H+Co, our culture is to Care Fiercely. Care is to be human. To recognise we are vulnerable beings. Fiercely is to be the best. When people come here, they sign up to that ambition – to aspire for excellence in an environment that encourages the quirks and vulnerabilities of the individual.”

At just four years old in 2025, Howatson+Company has grown into a formidable force. However, the agency caps its size at 200 employees to maintain intimacy, culture, and creativity.

“You can’t trust each other if you don’t know each other,” says Howatson. “With 200 it keeps us small enough to know each other, while being big enough to offer a depth of capability (and no single points of failure).”

With 64 new hires in 2024, the agency is growing strategically, ensuring it maintains its unique culture and high creative standards.

Being independent has given Howatson+Company the financial freedom to invest where others can’t — improving capabilities, culture, and client service.

“Independence means financial freedom to operate outside the scrutiny of reporting cycles to the investment community,” says Howatson. “We’ve spent $2 million in developing our proprietary AI products and processes. We spend 5% on training and development rather than the standard 1%. We make a significant investment in supporting mums returning to the workplace. We buy our buildings rather than renting them. And right now, we’re building a world class production studio in Melbourne.”

The ability to make bold, long-term investments has been a defining factor in H+Co’s rapid rise.

One of Howatson+Company’s most exciting innovations is Plus Also Studios, a proprietary SaaS production tool that automates media and production processes.

“Like many, we were apprehensive about AI,” says Howatson+ Company group managing director Renee Hyde.
“But its introduction has been liberating for our team. It allows us to focus on high value creative and strategic work, our craft, by freeing up the time that is usually spent on tasks like rollouts and adapts. Clients like Endeavour Group, Myer, Petbarn and Foxtel are seeing the value within their own teams, because we can finally do what clients have been asking for, for years – more with less.”

This AI-driven approach is streamlining workflows and generating new revenue streams for the agency.
At Howatson+Company, DEI isn’t just a corporate buzzword — it’s an action plan. The agency is actively closing the gender gap, particularly in creative and tech roles. A total of 57% of the team are women, over 50% of leadership roles are held by women, 57% of the creative department are female, and $500,000 has been invested in supporting their career growth.

“When people feel valued, supported, and included, they do their best work,” says Hyde. “For us, DEI isn’t just an acronym. We take action by working to close the gender gap, rebalancing talent in specialist areas, redefining parental policies to support all caregivers, and especially returning mums, and investing 5% of our revenue in training and development.”

The results? An 88% retention rate, 70 NPS score, and 98% of employees feeling valued – setting a new standard for workplace culture.

With 82 awards across 20 shows, Howatson+Company’s creative excellence has been recognised globally.
Howatson+Company chief creative officer Gavin Chimes highlights why awards matter: “Award show recognition is fantastic. It’s validation for our hard work. For the relationships we have with clients. It leads to new business, helps us hire better talent and, very importantly, makes our families proud.”

Being named a 2024 Contagious Pioneer — one of only eight agencies worldwide to receive the “Best and Bravest” title — cements Howatson+Company’s place among the industry’s elite.

“This was a 10-year goal for us, so we were thrilled to achieve it in year three,” says Chimes. “It’s a sign that our creative output can stand alongside the best in the world. We’re big fans of the other agencies on the list and were honoured to be recognised alongside them.”

Howatson+Company has built a reputation for producing bold, unconventional campaigns—often collaborating with emerging directors to keep its work fresh.

“To create work that truly feels new, you have to champion new voices,” says Howatson +Company chief production officer Holly Alexander. “Part of ‘no house style’ means we keep our work fresh and unexpected. This not only challenges and excites our teams but, more importantly, ensures that the brands we’re working for stand out. We live in an attention economy and to keep people interested we need to keep doing things differently. We often say, ‘Be the ref, don’t follow the ref’.”

From feature films like Mastercard’s TOUCH to groundbreaking projects such as the multi-awarded Maurice Blackburn Lawyers’ Exhibit A-i, H+Co is redefining modern storytelling.

“At H+Co, production is an integral part of the creative process from the start,” says Alexander. “My team sits right next to and work closely with the creatives from the ideation stage, and all the way through to delivery.”

With a full pipeline of epic film projects, a major OOH campaign, a museum rebrand, and an unexpected beer campaign, Howatson+ Company is set to push creative boundaries even further in 2025.

“Our ‘No house style’ means we always put clients’ brands before our own,” says Chimes. “We look at their codes, their business, their customers and culture, and strive to find the best creative solution for whatever the brief is. For our creatives, it’s an invitation to come up with ideas that move, entertain, change behaviour and make people think, ‘What the f*** will H+Co do next?’”

With an unwavering commitment to creativity, innovation, and culture, Howatson+Company is not just shaping the future of advertising — it’s redefining it.

The work seen and noted in 2024:

Mastercard – TOUCH
Over 500 million people visit the cinema every year. Yet for those who are blind or have low vision, the experience is an afterthought. They rely on audio descriptions, screen readers or a companion to explain what’s on the screen. To launch Touch Card – a bank card designed for the blind and low vision community – Mastercard flipped the script to create an inclusive cinema experience that was truly priceless. ‘TOUCH’ is a feature-length motion picture without pictures. Brought to life solely through Dolby 71 sound, without images or audio descriptions and made so all audiences can enjoy the magic of cinema together, no matter their level of vision. This unique film was developed in collaboration with consultants, composers, writers and actors from blind and low vision communities all over the world – alongside award winning filmmakers. ‘TOUCH’ premiered at iconic theatres across Australia, where both sighted and non-sighted people were invited to experience the film together. After one premiere, the project garnered A$10 million-plus in earned media coverage and reached 74 million-plus people.

ABC iview – Which streamer will you unsubscribe from?
With skyrocketing cost-of-living, Australians are cancelling streaming services, but iview is one streamer people never need cancel. To demonstrate this, H+Co created a new platform for iview, featuring genre-specific characters lamenting that the streamer they’re on is about to get cancelled. Post launch, active users increased 16.5% year on year, and iview became Australia’s top on-demand free-to-air BVOD service.

Qantas – Already Proud
The only honour greater than representing your country is representing your hometown. As the official airline and long-term partner of the Australian Olympic and Paralympic teams, Qantas celebrates the hometown pride friends, families and communities across the country have for our athletes. No matter what happens in Paris, we’re already proud. The campaign featured eight incredible athletes and captured their emotional farewells before boarding their flight. The integrated campaign launched during the Olympic Games opening ceremony, including film, OOH, and painted murals in athletes’ hometowns across the country.

Tripe J brand identity
Since 1975, national broadcaster Triple J has served as a lighthouse for young Australians, actively pushing culture forward and challenging norms through its disruptive programming, shows and events. Yet for the past 15 years, the brand and logo have remained static. To address this, Triple J partnered with H+Co to reinvigorate the brand for today’s listeners. The agency produced a design solution which used triple J’s ever-changing sounds to create an ever-changing brand identity. The rebrand successfully refreshed Triple J’s visual world while preserving its core identity as a champion of youth culture and new Australian music.

Petbarn – Puppy and Kitten Club
For decades, puppies and kittens have loved Petbarn’s vet-led advice and puppy school. To build upon that love, H+Co helped Petbarn launch its new Puppy and Kitten Club – a free club that gives new pet parents everything they need for their pet’s first year, helping them feel confident as their fur babies grow. To launch it, the agency created a heartwarming film that celebrated the love pet parents have for their fur babies. The 60-second spot is set to a unique cover of ‘Love Is All Around’, made famous by Wet Wet Wet and the film Love Actually. The spot was part of a larger campaign, supported by a mix of TV, digital, and OOH ads.

Allianz – Go Australiaaaaaahhhh!
Allianz has been the worldwide insurance partner of the Olympic and Paralympic movements since 2021 and has been supporting the games even longer in Australia. To mark the 2024 event in Paris, H+Co helped Allianz create a new brand campaign that tapped into their most iconic brand code to celebrate fan communities across the nation.
The Allianz ‘Ahhh’ is one of Australia’s most memorable brand codes. ‘Ahhh’ also happens to be the sound Aussies made when Cathy Freeman sprinted into history, or Courtney Vine scored that goal. The campaign’s hero film used this simple but powerful truth to create a uniting cheer, celebrating this shared moment of joy.

Selleys – If It’s Selleys It Works
With an already iconic line, ‘If It’s Selleys, It Works’, and a strong hold in the DiY space, the challenge was to help Selleys grow by winning over not just the punter, but the professionals. So, H+Co reintroduced the brand to tradies by showing a range of products being trusted in high-stakes situations where they simply must work.

iSelect – Save More
Comparing insurance and finances by yourself is a daunting task. And who has the time to sift through all those different options and providers to find the best deal? Well, iSelect does. To relaunch iSelect to Australia, H+Co created a new brand platform, ‘Save More’. A dedicated promise to all Australians, to help save them effort, money and endless time through iSelect’s comprehensive comparison and switching services.

TK Maxx – Christmas Campaign
TK Maxx launched its Australian Christmas campaign via H+Co, which highlighted the retailer’s dedication to providing unbeatable prices on big brand gifts. The campaign, set to the catchy rendition of the Black Eyed Peas’ hit “Shut Up”, captured the thrill of discovering fantastic bargains at TK Maxx, emphasising that shoppers can enjoy spoiling loved ones with big brand items at Christmas without the hefty price tag. The campaign ran across TV, BVOD, cinema and social.

Tyro – Into Business Big Time
Tyro is obsessed with putting better payments, banking and lending solutions in the hands of Australia’s 2.6 million small businesses. H+Co’s campaign activated this with the positioning, “into business big time”, expressed via employees camouflaged monitoring their client’s success.

TLC – Life Changing Care
The Australian aged care system is broken. In 2018 there was a Royal Commission into the terrible state of the industry and the tragic result on residents. Yet six years later, nothing has changed. TLC is revolutionising aged care and wants every person to have access to the same level of care. To demand change in aged care, H+Co needed to create a campaign with a truth more powerful than the Royal Commission. The agency found one: The Australian Aged Care System is failing the UN Declaration of Human Rights.

Dan Murphy’s
H+Co developed a personalisation contact strategy based on business rules, systems capability and a customer predictive recommendation matrix to inform message, offer and frequency of comms at an individual level.

Honda – It’s Not A Hybrid
Since launching Australia’s first hybrid engine in 2001, Honda has spent the next 23 years perfecting its intelligent hybrid technology to effortlessly switch between three drive modes to create a more responsive and efficient drive. To showcase the engineering brilliance behind it, H+Co launched a new positioning of Honda’s intelligent hybrid range: ‘It’s not a hybrid. It’s a Honda hybrid’. Across the campaign, the agency demonstrated the decades of thinking behind the engine. But while the thinking is important, there’s only one thing that matters: how it feels to drive.

Want to leave a comment? Share your thoughts below, making sure to include your full name and email address. If you have a news tip or story idea, please feel free to email ricki@campaignbrief.com.