Clemenger Group

What Clemenger Group does

Clemenger Group Limited is a privately held Australasian marketing communications holding company founded in 1946 by John Clemenger in Melbourne. It operates a portfolio of more than 20 specialist agencies organized across three categories: advertising and creative (Clemenger BBDO, Colenso BBDO, Marketforce, CHEP Network), specialized marketing services (Clemenger Field Marketing, Creative Activation, Raydar, Traffik, LEVO, Hall & Partners, Quantum Market Research, Perceptive Group, eg+ worldwide), and communications and public affairs (GRACosway, GRA Partners, GRC Partners + Porter Novelli, Porter Novelli, FleishmanHillard). BBDO Worldwide, a subsidiary of Omnicom Group, holds 74% of the company; the founding Clemenger family maintains board representation.

The group's offering covers the full spectrum of marketing communications including advertising, brand strategy, design, digital, experiential marketing, field sales and merchandising, shopper and retail activation, market research, public relations, government relations, and financial communications. It serves enterprise brand marketers across sectors such as FMCG, retail, telecommunications, beverages, pet food, healthcare, government, and not-for-profit, and operates from offices in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Canberra, Auckland, and Wellington. Pricing is project- or retainer-based professional services pricing, not publicly disclosed, and clients are acquired through direct enterprise relationships and network referrals.

The business model is integrated agency holding-company revenue generated through fees for professional services, augmented by cross-selling across owned agencies and the shared creative reputation and award record of its flagship brands. Recent strategic activity has emphasized consolidation of digital and technology capabilities (full ownership of LEVO), integration of New Zealand agencies into a single national platform, and selective application of AI in campaign execution through external partners such as Nexus Studios. Leadership transitioned in January 2022, with Les Timar becoming CEO and Robert Morgan moving from Executive Chairman to Chairman of the Group.

Name

Clemenger Group

Legal name

Clemenger Group Limited

Website

https://clemengergroup.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1946

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Clemenger Group is an Australasian marketing communications holding company operating 20-plus specialist advertising, creative, PR, public affairs, martech, and field marketing agencies across Australia and New Zealand, majority-owned by BBDO Worldwide/Omnicom, serving enterprise brand marketers and government clients with integrated campaign services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marketing Communications Services

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (541810), Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418), Public Relations Agencies (541820)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Appointment Setting & Sales Development (SDR/BDR) Services (BPAFAKAD)

Keywords

• Marketing communications services
• Advertising agency network
• Brand strategy consulting
• Experiential marketing services
• Public affairs communications

Headquarters

HQ city

Auckland

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Marketing Communications Services: Provides integrated marketing communications services including advertising, brand strategy, design services, digital marketing, experiential marketing, field marketing, sales promotion, market research, and public relations to enterprise clients. Revenue is generated through professional services engagements.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Clemenger Group Limited is a marketing communications holding company operating a portfolio of more than 20 specialist agencies across Australia and New Zealand. It provides integrated marketing communications services spanning advertising, brand strategy, design, digital marketing, experiential marketing, field marketing, sales promotion, market research, shopper and retail communications, and public affairs and public relations to enterprise clients and government organizations.

Product overview

Clemenger Group Limited is a marketing communications holding company operating a portfolio of specialist agencies across Australia and New Zealand. The offering consists of a unified group of 20+ distinct agencies organized into three main categories: (1) Advertising Agencies including Clemenger BBDO and Colenso BBDO providing core advertising and creative services; (2) Specialized Marketing Services including field marketing (Clemenger Field Marketing, Creative Activation), research (Hall & Partners, Quantum Market Research, Perceptive Group), technology (LEVO), retail communications (Raydar), and design/production (eg+ worldwide); and (3) Communications and Public Affairs including GRACosway, GRA Partners, GRC Partners + Porter Novelli, Porter Novelli, and FleishmanHillard. The group leverages Omnicom's global scale while maintaining local market expertise through its independently branded agency network.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Clemenger BBDO Full-service advertising agency solving big problems with strategy and creative that make big impact, working with brands and marketers through bold, insight-driven ideas.
• Colenso BBDO Creative agency focused on creating unique, powerful and convincing work where the brand meets the consumer in New Zealand.
• Marketforce Western Australian integrated marketing agency serving clients in government, FMCG, destination marketing, health, insurance, and utilities.
• Redhanded Specialist agency in rural and regional consumer and B2B communications using specialized research and strategic tools.
• Clemenger Field Marketing Field marketing services including field sales, merchandising teams, retail assisted sales teams, mystery shopping, and state of retail insights.
• Creative Activation Retail partner in Australia and New Zealand specializing in merchandising, sales teams, brand ambassadors, mystery shopping, retail auditing, and voice-of-customer solutions.
• eg+ worldwide (Made This) Provides cost-effective design, digital and pre-press solutions of any scale to brands, advertising agencies and media agencies.
• Hall & Partners Brand and communications research agency with senior service culture of a local player with global reach and resources.
• LEVO

Quantifiable outcome

• 20 shortlists and 6 Lions at Cannes Lions debut (McCann NZ)
• +12 more outcomes

Named customers19 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, significant and minor.

• BBDO Worldwide / Omnicom GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2026Long-standing strategic partnership since 1972 when Clemenger sold 35% to BBDO. Omnicom Group (parent of BBDO) holds 74% ownership of Clemenger Group. Provides Clemenger access to global network scale while maintaining local market leadership in Australia and New Zealand.
• IntuospacesignificantStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 April 2025Creative Activation partnered with Intuospace to deliver premium retail fixtures for Trinny London across Australia's top retail centres. Collaboration won Gold at Shop! ANZ Awards.
• Melbourne Business SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 March 2025Clemenger University partnership with Melbourne Business School - an immersive five-day executive leadership program. The program has run for more than 30 years and is an opportunity for senior leaders to learn from professors and establish bonds across the Group.
• Nexus StudiossignificantTechnology or Integration · 11 March 2025Partnership on the 'Adoptable' campaign for PEDIGREE. Nexus Studios collaborated with Colenso BBDO on the AI-driven campaign that delivered hyper-local ads to highlight adoptable dogs, earning the Immortal Award.
• TraffikcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 11 March 2025Traffik is an experiential agency within the Clemenger Group (launched 2001). Delivers activations including Schweppes at NGV Yayoi Kusama exhibition, M&M's store at Australian Open, Dunlop and Squealing Pig activations.
• 99 and JustOne (merged to form Proximity NZ)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 202199 and JustOne successfully merged to form Proximity NZ in 2021, expanding Clemenger's data-driven marketing capabilities in New Zealand.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Dentsu Creative: Global creative network of Dentsu International with significant ANZ presence. Comparable to Clemenger Group in offering integrated creative, digital, and media services across the region.
• Leo Burnett (Publicis): Global creative agency under Publicis Groupe with Australian operations. Comparable to Clemenger Group's full-service advertising agency offerings and competes for similar enterprise clients.
• Saatchi & Saatchi (Publicis): Global creative agency brand under Publicis Groupe with significant ANZ operations. Competes with Clemenger for major brand mandates and global-network-enabled client work.
• Ogilvy (WPP): Global advertising and PR network under WPP with strong Australia and New Zealand presence. Comparable to Clemenger in scope of integrated services across advertising, PR, and digital.

Direct peers

• M&C Saatchi: Independent ANZ creative and advertising agency group with offices across Australia. Directly competes with Clemenger's Clemenger BBDO and Colenso BBDO for major brand mandates and creative awards.
• Special Group: Award-winning independent creative agency with offices in Australia and New Zealand. Competes head-to-head with Clemenger Group agencies on creative-led briefs and has won comparable Cannes Lions and Effie recognition.
• Thinkerbell: ANZ independent creative agency founded by former Clemenger BBDO executives. Competes directly for the same enterprise brand clients and has been recognized at Cannes Lions and AWARD Awards.
• BMF: Independent Australian creative agency consistently ranked among the country's top creative shops. Competes with Clemenger BBDO for major creative awards and consumer brand accounts.
• The Brand Agency: WPP-owned ANZ creative agency with strong presence in Australia and New Zealand. Directly competes with Clemenger BBDO and Colenso BBDO for regional brand and government clients.
• TBWA (Omnicom): Sibling agency under the same Omnicom Group parent as Clemenger/BBDO. Competes in ANZ creative market and shares access to global network tools, similar to Clemenger's Omnicom relationship.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ClemengerGroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/clemengergroup
• Instagraminstagram.com/clemenger_careers

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries18 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A1 record

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Clemenger Group