Melbourne Social Co launches ATTN.CTRL, a new attention economy agency model

Melbourne Social Co has announced the launch of ATTN.CTRL, a new global attention agency designed to help brands navigate an increasingly fragmented media environment by shifting focus from channels directly to attention.

The launch marks the introduction of a second agency alongside Melbourne Social Co, built as a scalable model for today’s media landscape, where attention has overtaken traditional channel-based thinking. ATTN.CTRL has been developed to enable clearer separation of capability, sharper strategic focus, and international growth including the likes of New York and London.

Says Shelley Friesen (above right), Founder of Melbourne Social Co: “ATTN.CTRL is the natural development of what we’ve built over the past 15 years. We’ve reached a point where attention, not channel, is the defining currency of effectiveness. This structure allows us to scale globally, while staying focused on delivering meaningful impact in an increasingly fragmented media landscape.”

As part of the launch, ATTN.CTRL has made its first key appointment, welcoming Jess Randall (left) as VP of Global Projects. Randall joins from Adairs, one of Australia’s largest retail brands, where she served as Marketing Manager. Bringing extensive experience across campaign planning, brand architecture and large-scale marketing operations, the appointment signals the calibre of talent the agency is attracting as it launches its new arm.

Says Randall: “Brands are competing for attention in more places than ever before. What attracted me to ATTN.CTRL is its focus on building strategies around how people actually engage today, rather than being confined by traditional channel thinking. Having worked with Shelley and the Melbourne Social Co team previously, I’ve seen first-hand the capability and rigour behind their approach, and I’m excited to bring that experience into ATTN.CTRL.”

Positioned as a global attention agency, ATTN.CTRL introduces a new strategic framework for modern marketing known as “attention architecture”, which reframes how brands plan, earn and sustain engagement in an environment defined by constant content competition and rapidly-shifting consumer behaviour.

At the core of the offering is a four-part approach, earn, hold, amplify and convert attention, designed to work across social, PR, paid media, influencer marketing, events and cultural moments, integrating channels into a unified system built around how audiences actually engage.

The launch comes as traditional agency models face increasing pressure to adapt, with brands demanding more agile, globally-integrated solutions that reflect real-world audience behaviour rather than channel-led planning structures.

Backed by 15 years of delivery through Melbourne Social Co and more than 1,000 client partnerships across brands including Xero, Bonds and Lifely, ATTN.CTRL has built its reputation on delivering social-led campaigns ahead of the wider shift to “social first” marketing. With boots on the ground in Melbourne, Sydney, New York and London, the agency positions itself as a globally connected organisation designed to help brands earn, sustain and convert attention in a world where traditional media pathways are no longer linear.

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