What Fenton Communications does

Fenton Communications is a privately held strategic communications agency headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, operating under the legal entity Fenton Strategic Communications Pty Limited (ABN 87 096 279 640). Founded in 1990 and co-owned by CEO Melanie Wilkinson and COO Todd Wilkinson, the firm serves Australian federal and state government departments, not-for-profit organisations, and selected corporate clients with a focus on complex social-impact campaigns in health, social justice, sustainability, resources, and professional services. Its stated customer base includes the Department of Health Disability and Ageing, the Department of Education and Training Victoria, Family Safety Victoria, the Department of Justice Victoria, the Australian Government Department of Human Services, the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Beyond Blue, VicHealth, People With Disability Australia, and the Clean Energy Council.

The agency's core offering is a fully integrated in-house stack covering strategic communications planning, public relations, stakeholder engagement, marketing communications, visual design and creative services, digital communications, video production, research and evaluation, crisis and issues management, change communications, and a specialised Influencer Engagement Program. There is no technology platform or proprietary software product; the firm's capabilities rest on human expertise, supported by a partner ecosystem that includes Ogilvy Australia, media agency UM, multicultural specialist Cultural Perspectives, Indigenous design firm Carbon Creative, parenting platform Kiindred, youth media outlet The Daily Aus, and Primary Health Networks. The firm has received industry recognition including IABC Gold Quill, CPRA Golden Target Awards, Asia Pacific Effie Gold and Bronze (2025), AGDA design awards, and third place at the CPRA Independent Agency of the Year 2025.

Fenton generates revenue through professional services fees on a project and retainer basis, with bespoke quote-based pricing tied to scope, duration, and team composition. It operates with a lean team of approximately 10 senior consultants from a single Melbourne office at Level 25, 360 Collins Street, and distributes its services through direct client engagement, tender responses, and long-term relationship-based selling rather than channel partners or self-serve platforms. The go-to-market motion is relationship-led enterprise field sales targeting government and not-for-profit procurement processes, with no publicly disclosed pricing tiers or rate cards.

Name

Fenton Communications

Legal name

Fenton Strategic Communications Pty Limited

Website

https://fenton.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Fenton Communications is a Melbourne-based strategic communications agency serving Australian federal and state government departments and not-for-profit organisations, delivering integrated public relations, stakeholder engagement, creative campaigns, and influencer programs across health, social justice, and sustainability sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Strategic Communications Consulting

NAICS

Public Relations Agencies (54182)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

PR, Corporate Communications & Crisis Management (BPAFAAAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Crisis Communications & Issues Management (BPAFADAE), Media Relations & Press Office Services (BPAFADAF)

Keywords

• Strategic communications
• Public relations services
• Stakeholder engagement
• Integrated campaign delivery
• Behaviour change communications

Headquarters

HQ city

Melbourne

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Strategic Communications Consulting: Professional services revenue generated through strategic communications consulting, public relations, stakeholder engagement, and integrated campaign delivery for government and not-for-profit clients.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Fenton Communications is an Australian strategic communications agency delivering integrated public relations, stakeholder engagement, marketing communications, visual design, and digital communications services. It designs and executes behaviour-change and integrated campaigns for government, not-for-profit, and corporate clients across health, resources, sustainability, social justice, and professional services sectors. Service delivery combines strategic planning, research and evaluation, creative content production (including video and animation), and multi-channel campaign execution on a project-based consultancy model.

Product overview

Fenton Communications is a strategic communications agency offering integrated services rather than a software product. The company combines in-house expertise in strategic planning, public relations, stakeholder engagement, marketing communications, visual design, and digital services. Their core offering centres on integrated campaigns that address complex social challenges across health, resources, sustainability, social justice, and professional services sectors. The agency's services work together as a unified offering, combining research-driven insights with creative execution across multiple channels including digital, traditional media, video production, and community engagement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Strategic Communications Planning Comprehensive strategic planning services that combine insights, methodologies, and creative strategies to meet client objectives across health, resources, sustainability, social justice, and professional services sectors.
• Public Relations Services Professional PR services including media relations, story shaping, stakeholder engagement, and reputation management for government and public sector clients.
• Stakeholder Engagement Identifying stakeholders and prioritising their needs, working with people and organisations to build understanding and achieve desired outcomes.
• Marketing Communications Integrated marketing communications combining strategic planning, advertising, and digital channels to reach target audiences effectively.
• Visual Design and Creative Services Creative design services including brand development, advertising creative strategy, graphic design, illustration, and animation that engages both heart and mind.
• Integrated Campaigns Crafting integrated campaigns with the right mix of materials, channels, and engagement to address complex social problems.
• Brand and Marketing Strategy Forging brands with meaning, supported by brand and marketing strategies that stand the test of time.
• Change Communications Developing strategies to ensure communications support the change management process for organisations undergoing transitions.
• Crisis and Issues Management

Named customers13 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Ogilvy AustraliacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFenton collaborated with Ogilvy Australia on the Beforeplay STI awareness campaign for the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. This partnership was part of the Health and Wellbeing Village collective commitment to a collaborative and innovative campaign approach, winning Gold and Bronze at the Asia Pacific Effie Awards.
• UMcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFenton partnered with UM (media agency) to deliver partnerships with digital media platforms Kiindred and The Daily Aus as part of Australian Government public health campaigns. UM and Fenton collaborated on government health campaigns to reach target audiences with authentic, engaging content.
• Cultural PerspectivescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFenton engaged Cultural Perspectives, a specialist multicultural communications agency, for campaigns including the national 60-day prescriptions community engagement campaign. Translators from Cultural Perspectives were on hand at information stands in shopping centres across Australia to answer questions in local languages.
• People With Disability Australia (PWDA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFenton partnered with People With Disability Australia to deliver a fully accessible information webinar promoting the National Redress Scheme to people with disability who have experienced institutional child sexual abuse. This collaboration enabled reach to PWDA's extensive networks to increase awareness and build credibility.
• Carbon CreativeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFenton worked with Carbon Creative to develop illustrations and artwork representing First Nations people for use across tailored Medicare Mental Health resources developed for the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing.
• KiindredminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFenton collaborated with Kiindred, a leading Australian parenting website, app and Instagram platform (35K followers), to deliver partnerships as part of public health campaigns for the Australian government. Kiindred offers credible, expert guidance and support for new parents and helped reach target audiences with authentic content.
• The Daily AusminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFenton partnered with The Daily Aus, which reaches 1 in 8 Australians aged 15-35, to deliver partnerships for Australian Government public health campaigns. The platform provides digestible, engaging news through daily newsletters (200K subscribers), podcast (280K monthly downloads), and Instagram (620K followers).
• Primary Health Network (PHN)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFenton consulted with a local Primary Health Network for input and advice on Medicare Mental Health Centre resources, including producing a video featuring First Nations staff to highlight benefits and culturally safe support available.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Hawker Britton: Australian public affairs and government relations firm specialising in advocacy and policy communications. Closely comparable on government, health and social-impact client mix.
• Ogilvy Australia: Ogilvy Australia's PR and strategic communications practice serves federal government and nonprofit clients across behaviour-change and public health campaigns. Direct partner on Fenton's Beforeplay STI work and competes for overlapping federal mandates.
• SenateSHJ: Australian independent strategic communications and PR firm of comparable boutique scale, serving government, corporate and nonprofit clients. Direct competitor for federal and Victorian government communications tenders.

Broad incumbents

• FleishmanHillard Australia: Global public relations and communications agency with Australian operations serving corporate, government and health clients. Broader geographic and capability footprint than Fenton.
• WE Communications Australia: Global communications firm with Australian operations serving technology, healthcare and public-sector clients. Overlaps with Fenton on health and behaviour-change programs.
• Edelman Australia: Local arm of global PR firm Edelman, offering public affairs, health, and corporate communications. Competes for the same federal and nonprofit mandates as Fenton but with significantly larger global resources.
• BCW Australia: Australia arm of global communications network BCW (formed from Burson and Cohn & Wolfe). Competes for federal and corporate communications briefs as a broad incumbent.

Emerging players

• Thinkerbell: Australian-founded creative communications agency combining PR, advertising and earned influence. Operates in adjacent integrated communications territory, particularly on behaviour-change and consumer campaigns.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fenton-communications-australia
• Xx.com/fentoncom

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 Fenton Communications