D3

What D3 does

D3 Digital Limited is an independent media agency headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand, founded in 2018 by Alex Radford and Richard Thompson. The firm provides media strategy, paid media, SEO, and data and analytics services to ambitious mid-market and enterprise brands, with a fully independent operating model that excludes principal media deals and rebated inventory. Service delivery is organised into four pillars — Media Consulting, Paid Media, SEO, and Data & Analytics — supported by three proprietary technology platforms: Alpha for AI-assisted media planning, Scribe for AI content generation with a Brand Brain governance layer, and D3 Lab for real-time client dashboards.

The agency's tech stack integrates standard programmatic and analytics infrastructure (DV360, Amazon DSP, Perion, Google Ads, Meta, LinkedIn Campaign Manager, GA4, GTM, server-side tagging) with its proprietary AI platforms to offer full-funnel campaign management, measurement, and incrementality testing. Named enterprise clients span banking (Co-operative Bank), wealth management (Milford), retirement living (Metlifecare), pet food (Ziwi), education (UP Education, NZMA), health insurance (nib), and healthcare (The Cannabis Clinic), with documented case-study outcomes including 171% growth in personal loan applications, 40% sales uplift, and +10 percentage points of transfer market share growth over five years.

D3 operates a senior-led, direct enterprise sales motion on custom multi-year contracts with no public pricing. The agency is privately held with no disclosed funding, no parent company, and no institutional investors, and the founders retain operational control. The agency employs more than 25 specialists with an additional Sydney, Australia office opened in 2026 to support trans-Tasman expansion, and co-founder Alex Radford chairs Independent Media Agencies New Zealand (IMANZ).

Name

D3

Legal name

D3 Digital Limited

Website

https://d3.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

D3 Digital Limited is an independent media agency headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand, founded in 2018 by Alex Radford and Richard Thompson. It provides media strategy, paid media, SEO, and data and analytics services to enterprise and mid-market brands across New Zealand and Australia, supported by three proprietary AI platforms (Alpha, Scribe, and D3 Lab) and a fully transparent, rebate-free operating model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Parnell

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Media Consulting Services: Strategic consultancy services including media strategy development, digital transformation consulting, and independent media audits. Delivered as ongoing partnerships or discrete projects with senior practitioner involvement.
2. Media Planning and Buying: Integrated campaign management across paid search, social, programmatic, and traditional media channels. Revenue generated through managed service fees and media buying commissions.
3. SEO Services: Comprehensive SEO services including technical SEO, content development, e-commerce SEO, local SEO, and AIO (AI Optimisation). Delivered as retainer or project-based engagements.
4. Data and Analytics Services: Analytics implementation, conversion tracking, dashboarding, data strategy, and enhanced analytics including ML/AI prediction services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

D3 is an independent media agency providing four integrated service pillars: Media Consulting (strategy, digital transformation, independent media audits), Paid Media (paid search, paid social, programmatic, media planning), SEO (technical, local, e-commerce, AIO, content development), and Data & Analytics (conversion tracking, dashboarding, ML/AI analytics). Service delivery is augmented by three proprietary platforms — Alpha for AI-assisted media planning, Scribe for AI-driven content generation with Brand Brain governance, and D3 Lab for real-time client dashboards — all delivered under a transparent, no-principal-deal model with senior practitioner involvement.

Product overview

D3 is an independent media agency offering integrated media services with proprietary technology. The core offering comprises four main service pillars: Media Consulting (strategy, digital transformation, audits), Paid Media (search, social, programmatic, planning), SEO (technical, local, e-commerce, AIO, content), and Data & Analytics (tracking, dashboards, enhanced analytics). Three proprietary platforms augment these services: Alpha for AI-assisted media planning, Scribe for AI content generation with Brand Brain governance, and D3 Lab for real-time client dashboards. The agency operates a fully transparent model without principal media deals, integrating strategy, data, and execution into a single connected approach.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Scribe: Proprietary AI content generation platform that combines speed with strategic control, featuring a Brand Brain governance layer for AI-assisted content production
• Alpha
• D3 Lab

Products and services

• Media Consulting Strategic consulting services covering media strategy development, digital transformation, and independent media audits to help brands make better investment decisions. Delivered to enterprise and mid-market clients in New Zealand and Australia.
• Paid Media Channel-agnostic paid media services combining strategic consultancy with platform expertise across search, social, programmatic, and traditional media for measurable outcomes. Target buyers are enterprise and mid-market brands in ANZ.
• SEO Search engine optimization combining technical excellence, content strategy, and AI tools for sustainable organic growth and visibility in traditional and AI-driven search. Delivered to enterprise and mid-market clients.
• Data & Analytics Analytics services including conversion tracking, dashboarding, data strategy, and enhanced analytics using ML/AI for prediction and optimization. Supports enterprise and mid-market clients with measurement and decision-making infrastructure.
• Media Planning AI-assisted media planning combining proprietary Alpha platform and Bionic global planning system for dynamic plan creation, optimization, and scenario modelling. Delivered as a standalone offering within the broader paid media practice.
• Programmatic Programmatic advertising delivered through DV360, Amazon DSP, and Perion, providing premium, data-driven media at scale with transparency. Used by enterprise and mid-market brands for cross-channel programmatic campaigns.
• Paid Social Full-funnel social media advertising across Meta, TikTok, Snapchat, and Taboola with platform-native creative strategies. Targeted at consumer brands seeking growth across paid social channels.
• Alpha Platform Proprietary AI-assisted media planning platform that dynamically adjusts media plans based on performance signals, keeping media investment aligned to opportunity in real-time. Used by D3's strategists to create, optimise, and evolve media plans.
• Scribe Proprietary AI content generation platform with a Brand Brain governance layer that ensures AI-assisted content adheres to specific brand guidelines, terminology, and compliance rules. Combines human strategy with AI-powered drafting and refinement to deliver articles, ad copy, and marketing content at scale.
• D3 Lab Real-time dashboard system providing clients with full visibility of performance, investment, and decision-making at every stage. Includes weekly performance stand-ups and 100% transparency on all client accounts.

Quantifiable outcome

• Co-operative Bank achieved 32% brand search uplift, 171% growth in personal loan applications, and 20% YoY lift in first home buyer applications
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

AI capability7 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Independent Media Agencies New Zealand (IMANZ)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlex Radford serves as Chair of IMANZ, advocating for a stronger, more transparent media industry in New Zealand. IMANZ represents independent media agencies and works to elevate standards and ensure New Zealand businesses have access to world-class strategic thinking.
• XPONminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerASX-listed martech company that partnered with IMANZ to publish the 'The Indie Advantage' report. D3 contributed expertise to this industry research initiative examining how independent agencies are redefining scale in the AI era.
• DV360 (Google Display & Video 360)coreTechnology or IntegrationPrimary programmatic platform for delivering premium, data-driven media at scale with access to YouTube and advanced cross-channel measurement capabilities.
• Amazon DSPcoreTechnology or IntegrationDemand-side platform providing access to high-intent retail and behavioral data for targeting and attribution, enabling connection between media exposure and real-world purchase behavior.
• Scribe (Internal AI Platform)coreTechnology or IntegrationD3's proprietary AI content generation platform enabling scalable content production while maintaining brand consistency through Brand Brain governance layer.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• GroupM (WPP): Largest media investment group globally and parent of EssenceMediacom, Mindshare, Wavemaker, and MediaCom; the dominant incumbent D3 competes against for large ANZ enterprise media budgets with full-service scale that independents cannot match.
• EssenceMediacom: WPP/GroupM global media network with ANZ operations; Courtney Barnett held senior leadership at EssenceMediacom before D3, and it competes for the same enterprise brand-to-performance mandates but as part of a much larger multi-agency portfolio.
• Omnicom Media Group: Holding company for OMD, PHD, Hearts & Science and other global media networks; Lani Jamieson held senior leadership at Omnicom Media Group before D3, and the group competes for the same ANZ enterprise mandates with integrated creative-media scale.
• UM Worldwide: IPG Mediabrands global media agency network; Courtney Barnett led integrated planning and buying at UM in London before D3, making it a directly comparable global-network competitor for multi-market enterprise accounts.
• IPG Mediabrands: Interpublic's global media investment arm (UM, Initiative, Mediabrands); Lani Jamieson's background includes Kinesso (IPG), and the group competes with D3 for enterprise paid media, programmatic, and SEO mandates in the ANZ region.
• dentsu ANZ: Global advertising holding company with significant ANZ media operations spanning Dentsu, Merkle, and PHD; multiple D3 senior team members (Lani Jamieson, Courtney Barnett) came from dentsu group agencies, and it competes across the same enterprise media buying landscape.

Direct peers

• MBM (NZ): New Zealand media agency and part of the MBM network; multiple D3 senior team members (Keila Bituin, Denise Tan) previously held senior roles there, making it a directly comparable media planning and buying competitor in the same geography.
• Together: New Zealand independent digital and data agency where D3's Head of Data and Technology Torsten Stolt previously served as Business Intelligence Director; comparable scope across data-led media, analytics, and digital strategy for ANZ clients.
• Krunch.co: New Zealand-based independent digital and media agency; D3's own General Manager Lani Jamieson came from Krunch as Director of Media, indicating direct overlap in services, customer profile, and ANZ market positioning.
• PHD (NZ): Global media agency (Omnicom) with a New Zealand presence; D3 leadership backgrounds (Torsten Stolt, Denise Tan) include PHD, and it competes head-to-head with D3 on paid media, planning, and search mandates for enterprise clients.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/d3digital

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about D3