The New Wave ~ Spinach
The New Wave is Campaign Brief’s Q&A series spotlighting the next generation of independent creative companies and exploring how the indie model is evolving. From structure and speed to culture and capability, we unpack where these businesses are finding their edge and what’s driving client decisions today. Next up is Spinach.
1. Give us the elevator pitch – who are you and what do you do?
We’re Spinach, trusted advisors for clients since ‘99. We take all the challenges and pressures and complexity modern clients face and turn that into relevant, distinctive work across their businesses.
A lot of agencies have a senior team at the coal face. We know what to do with the coal. If it’s a challenger whose goal is to beat bigger brands or a leader who needs to stay on top every client wants us to fight for them and with them. We bring this pugilistic attitude in to work every day.
2. Are indies still challengers, or have they become the norm?
Indies have always been challengers and always will be.
We challenge networks, clients and, given how many of us there are now, we challenge each other. We’re all competing on the same skinny playing field with hungry and talented newcomers entering all the time. While it’s all very collegiate, it means we’re challenged to stay at the top of our game all the time.
3. What’s your unfair advantage over the networks today?
We’re good at cross-pollination. Our leadership team is deep in the trenches. Our media team are creative thinkers, our creative team are media thinkers, our account servicepeople are businesspeople. We all sit together and talk constantly so we have no choice but to learn from each other. People in networks tend to stick to their lane more.
We’re also good at reading between lines. We can sense the unsaid, deliver what’s really needed and see red flags before they’re raised. Even Smokey, our agency hound, can sniff out something suss at 50 paces.
4. How are you using AI to compete above your weight?
We’re using AI as individuals, departments and as an agency in different ways. Some of it’s process-led, some to help augment human thinking, some to orchestrate and improve the media process, some to collaborate. More excitingly for clients we’re currently using it to develop tools that are genuinely useful for them.
5. What kind of clients are choosing indies right now – and why?
Yes clients choose indies because they want to skip the layers and get closer to the work but they’ve been doing that since we were baby Spinach. In reality there are all kinds of different reasons.
Some need the help with the grind of marketing – unravelling truths, stakeholder management, a disjointed team, help with ranging or pricing. Many want innovative ideas that connect media and message. Some want to be a bigger fish in a smaller pond and have someone get closer to their problems. The ones we see want an agency to take an all-of-business approach with them and get to know them as well as they know themselves.
6. What’s next – growth, staying lean, or something else?
Client success is our only reason for being. We put a ton of care and energy into the businesses who trust in us and we have the freedom to push ourselves as hard as necessary to hit their goals. Wherever that leads us is what’s next.
Check out the other New Wave Q&As below:
Read cummins&partners’ Q&A here
Read Connecting Plots Group’s Q&A here
Read Jacko Jacko & Jacko’s Q&A here
Read Chimera Project’s Q&A here
Read Today The Brave’s Q&A here
Read Tightknit Studio’s Q&A here
Read Bastion Australia’s Q&A here
Read We Are Different’s Q&A here
Read SICKDOGWOLFMAN’s Q&A here
Read Kill Boring Dead’s Q&A here
Read Oblong Creative’s Q&A here
Read The Many Australia’s Q&A here
Read Bureau of Everything’s Q&A here
Read Art of the Possible ANZ’s Q&A here
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