Impressive CEO Robert Tadros shifts business model: “There’s a growing realisation that the old-school agency model isn’t fit for purpose”
![Impressive CEO Robert Tadros shifts business model: “There’s a growing realisation that the old-school agency model isn’t fit for purpose”](https://asset-cdn.campaignbrief.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/25110230/Robert-Tadros.jpg)
Like many Australian advertising, marketing and PR agencies, Impressive long ago realised the status quo wasn’t working well for anybody. Unlike many Australian agencies Impressive decided to pivot and offer its clients a new deal.
The approach seems to be yielding encouraging results with Impressive recently signing prestige retailer Space Furniture, high-profile mug maker KeepCup and a major super fund.
While it might be assumed agencies would adapt to clients, agencies typically expect clients to adapt to their preferences, notes Robert Tadros, Impressive’s founder and CEO: “The most obvious example of the agency-client disconnect is that many businesses must now manage multiple agencies, most of which will offer a single service, such as digital marketing.
“There are also other client complaints that anyone who’s worked in an agency will be familiar with. Such as agencies not having skin in the game with campaigns and having bureaucratic structures that make getting things done hard.”
Tadros and his team are now giving Australian businesses what they have long requested.
Says Tadros: “We’ve moved on from a retainer model to one where our fees are determined by the performance of a client’s campaign. Our clients aren’t ‘managed’ by an account manager – they can chat with the front-line experts working on their campaign any time they like. Perhaps most importantly, we provide a one-stop shop. Though we started as an ‘independent digital agency’ back in 2016, we’ve now grown to a size where we can usually meet all our clients’ marketing needs.”
Says Michelle McEwen, group head of marketing at Space Furniture: “Impressive’s performance-driven, multi-channel approach and access to specialists aligns well with our goals, and we’re excited to see the impact this collaboration brings.”
Tadros is also excited to see what comes of the new collaborations: “It’s always a risk to try something new, but there’s a growing realisation that the old-school agency model isn’t fit for purpose. The business model we’ve now embraced – bringing our specialists together as one cohesive, non-siloed team that speaks directly with our clients and is focused on achieving their commercial objectives – has found near-immediate success. And I’m confident Impressive will enjoy much more success once word gets out that we offer our clients something they won’t find elsewhere.”