Reading Room arrives in Australia: promises to rewrite the book on digital communications

Award winning European agency Reading Room aims to shake up the Australian industry with a move down under, claiming to bring a different approach to digital communications, hiring some of the Australian digital industry’s most respected people to join the leadership team. Key senior hires are Tom Voirol (pictured centre), one of Australia’s pre-eminent UX architects formerly Amnesia and Reading Room Europe, Andrew Richardson (pictured right), formerly Creative Director at Amnesia Razorfish and News Digital Media, and Cathie McGinn (pictured), ex-Photon company Geekdom and boutique search and social agency LCB Media.

Sarah Vick, one of Europe’s most experienced digital specialists and aGroup Board Director in London for the last five years, will be moving from the UK to lead the Australian team and also looking after plans toexpand into Asia Pacific in the future.  Completing the initial team isLela Kitley, Reading Room Europe’s most senior process expert.

SaysRichardson: “We believe the way many agencies operate is not in theinterests of the client, and Reading Room is set to change that inAustralia. There are some great agencies who are doing good work, butothers are going to find it harder to compete in a post-GFC climate.Budgets are tighter and clients are naturally looking for smart peoplewho can deliver without the big agency bullshit. Reading Room keepscosts low by making clients’ needs central to the process, so there areno long delays, expensive revisions and excessive management hourspadding the bill.”

Richardson will initially spend some timein the UK to get fully acquainted with the processes and thinking thathave made Reading Room a success.

Says Tom Voirol, Director ofthe Sydney office: “Reading Room’s process cuts out the sales peopleand account managers who can talk the talk but can’t walk the walk. All clients have direct contact with a dedicated team, not someone inthe middle who has limited understanding of strategy, development orexecution. Connecting the client with the people actually creating andproducing the work is a crucial part of the Reading Room approach, andthe way we create award-winning work as well as value for money. Whatmakes Reading Room unique is that clients only pay when the work issigned off by the client – so it’s in our interests to get it right.”

AddsCathie McGinn: “What made me decide to join Reading Room is the factthat it’s a truly integrated agency. There aren’t many agencies aroundthat really understand how important it is to integrate userexperience, design and technology with social media and search from theoutset. The Reading Room team is made up of smart people who each excelin one area but ‘get it’ all areas of digital.”

Reading Room hasa global reputation for delivering large-scale web projects fordemanding clients in the large corporate and public sector. Its clientsin the UK and Australia include the Australian Museum, the WorldWildlife Fund (WWF), the winning bid for the 2014 Commonwealth Games(Glasgow 2014), The Glenlivet, YHA and World Squash.

SaysMargaret Manning, Reading Room CEO: “after a spate of big wins, thetime was right for Reading Room to expand its global operations andAustralia was the obvious choice.  Australia has weathered the globalfinancial crisis better than other countries, the country punches wellabove its weight on the global web stage and its huge talent base isimmensely attractive. Australia has a reputation as a nation of earlyadopters, quick to embrace new technologies and new media.

“Wehave already been very successful in Canberra and the Australia wideexpansion was a natural next step. Reading Room is delighted to matchits global experience with the Australian ‘getting it done’ attitude.”

Manninghas won multiple awards for entrepreneurship (including the StevieAwards Female Entrepreneur of the Year – Europe, Middle East andAfrica).

Reading Room is an award-winning, full-service agencywith services spanning the full lifecycle of digital communications,including strategic planning, user experience consulting, design anddevelopment, digital marketing and measurement, SEO and social mediaconsulting. Founded in 1996, the company has grown to over 150 staffwith offices in London, Manchester, Canberra and now Sydney. ReadingRoom remains independent and committed to its core values of helpingorganisations produce top quality digital communication with honesty,transparency, intelligence and know-how.

Tom Voirol can be contacted on Tom.voirol@readingroom.com.au or + 61 431 911 073 or on Twitter.