Campaign Brief Q&A with Melanie Spencer, Co-CEO and Co-founder, Thompson Spencer: “We want to become the greatest indie agency in the world”

After a major merger in March between Thompson Spencer and Reason, and a bold expansion into the Australian market, Melanie Spencer has had a huge year. Now shortlisted for CEO of the Year at the Campaign Asia-Pacific’s Women Leading Change Awards, the Co-CEO and Co-Founder is steering the newly-transformed independent creative and media agency into exciting territory. CB sat down with Spencer to talk about the merger, the momentum, and what’s next.

Congratulations on your CEO of the Year shortlist — what does this recognition mean to you?

To be honest, I see this more as a recognition of our team. It’s their hard work and dedication that make Thompson Spencer a success. My role is to support, inspire and motivate our team and help keep the momentum going so we continue to push boundaries and produce epic, world class work. This is a team sport – no goals are scored without an incredible group of individuals working together in unison.

What I love though, is it really shows that Thompson Spencer (from down under) is really punching above its weight on the world stage. This for me, it’s so exciting and a real thrill that a Kiwi agency’s name is in lights.

Thompson Spencer recently expanded to Australia — why was now the right time to make that move?

We already have a bevy of clients in Melbourne and Sydney so it makes sense to have boots on the ground to service these clients, but more importantly, our recent merger with Reason has meant we have a unique offering to the market.

We’re a ‘full funnel, full noise’ advertising agency that delivers on deep expertise at every stage of the funnel. We’re big believers in creative working hand in hand with media and data and now we’re under one roof, this has become a reality.

Wendy, Matt, Tim (my co-founders) and I have designed this agency for modern marketers who want to future proof their brands – whether it shows up on TV, TikTok or ChatGPT. We’re also four entrepreneurs who hustle hard and work hard to make magic happen and together we’ve got the chops to take on the Aussie market.

The merger with Reason marks a major new chapter. How did that opportunity come about?

Wendy Thompson (co-founder of Thompson Spencer) and Tim Pointer (co-founder of Reason) have known each other for a few years and have always respected each other and shared industry knowledge with one another. Then, it started to become clear Reason had strengths that were our weaknesses and vice versa. So it’s a match made in heaven. We’ve given each other the fire power needed to be truly world leading.

What excites you most about what’s ahead for the newly merged agency?

We presented to a client yesterday for a launch campaign which will be executed half way across the globe. During the presentation it really dawned on me how powerful it is to have Reason’s and Thompson Spencer’s expertise together under one roof. Honestly, it gave me goose bumps just seeing the two teams working together as one powerful unit, offering up a solution to the client and quite literally blowing their socks off.

What’s your biggest lesson from navigating two major milestones (merger + expansion) back-to-back?

Ummmm…to hold on tight and enjoy the ride. It’s not for the faint hearted, that’s for sure and it can get challenging. But from our previous acquisition experience, Wendy and I have learnt to have one person working on the merger (legal and accounting) and that’s Wendy’s domain. While someone else focuses on continuing to run the business – this role is taken up by myself and now Tim and Matt – who is the client whisperer and futurist. It’s much easier when you have a crew that supports each other with the same values, ambition and goals.

What’s your vision for the next 12 months for the agency — and for yourself as a leader?

We want to become the greatest indie agency in the world, so over the next 12 months we’ll be working our backsides off to make this a reality. We’ve run campaigns in 73 countries across the globe and we want to expand this over the next 12 months. As for me, I just want to keep nurturing and supporting our growing team and growing businesses – our clients’ and our own – Thompson Spencer.

Group shot (L-R): Wendy Thompson, Matt Rowe, Melanie Spencer, Tim Pointer