The Advertising Works

What The Advertising Works does

The Advertising Works (legal entity The Advertising Works (QLD.) Pty Ltd) is a privately held, full-service media planning and buying agency headquartered in Milton, Queensland, with a second office in Bundall on the Gold Coast. Founded in 1989 and led by Managing Director Chris May, the firm has operated continuously for over 35 years with a small team of approximately 10 staff, delivering integrated advertising services including creative direction and graphic design, digital services (PPC, paid social, SEO, programmatic display/video, email), social media management and influencer partnerships, and in-house media buying across print, radio, television, outdoor and premium sponsorships. The agency's client base spans hospitality and tourism (The Westin Brisbane, Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, Pink Flamingo Gold Coast), retail and consumer brands with multi-location networks (Tyrepower Queensland across 64 franchisee locations, Sumitomo Rubber Australia / Falken Tyres, Neptune Homes), and the charity sector (Bravehearts, supported for 15+ years). Multiple clients are held on multi-year engagements, with stated relationships of 12+ years (Tyrepower) and 15+ years (Bravehearts).

The business operates on a professional services, quote-based pricing model tailored to each campaign's scope and media budget, with multi-year contracts typical for enterprise accounts. Revenue is generated from agency fees for creative, digital, social and media planning work; media spend is largely pass-through and handled in-house via the agency's own media department, supplemented by a strategic partnership with Carat (part of the global Dentsu Aegis buying group) for national-scale campaigns beyond the agency's regional Queensland base. The firm is also operationally partnered with Comradery Collective, jointly delivering design, web, paid media, social and influencer work for shared accounts such as Falken Tyres, Pink Flamingo Gold Coast and Neptune Homes. The agency is founder-led and independently owned, with no disclosed institutional investment, parent company, M&A activity, or external funding. Geographic reach is primarily regional (Queensland) but extends nationally through the Carat relationship. No proprietary technology stack, AI/ML capabilities, mobile applications, or patents are disclosed; service delivery rests on agency expertise, senior-level publisher relationships and long-standing client trust rather than a differentiated technology platform.

Name

The Advertising Works

Legal name

The Advertising Works (QLD.) Pty Ltd

Website

https://advertisingworks.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Advertising Works is a privately held, full-service media planning and buying agency in Queensland, Australia. Founded in 1989, the 10-person firm delivers creative, digital, social and media buying services to enterprise clients across hospitality, retail and charity sectors, with national reach via its Carat (Dentsu Aegis) partnership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Milton

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Media Planning and Buying Services: The agency charges fees for strategic media planning and buying services across multiple platforms including outdoor, digital, print, magazine, social, television, and radio. They operate their own in-house media department and also partner with Carat for large-scale national campaigns.
2. Creative and Design Services: Revenue generated from creative direction, graphic design, copywriting, motion design, video production, photography, and other creative content services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Advertising Works is a full-service media planning and buying agency offering an integrated portfolio of creative/design, digital, social media, and media buying services. The firm operates an in-house media department to plan, negotiate and buy media across outdoor, digital, print, magazine, social, television, and radio channels, supplemented by a partnership with Carat (Dentsu Aegis) for national-scale campaigns. Services are delivered under multi-year bespoke contracts to mid-market and enterprise clients across hospitality, tourism, consumer brands, and charity verticals.

Product overview

The Advertising Works is a full-service marketing agency that has operated for over 35 years. The company offers an integrated portfolio of services including Design and Creative Content Services, Digital Services, Social Media Services, and Media Buying Services. These offerings are designed to work together as an integrated 360-degree marketing approach, enabling consistent brand messaging across all communications channels (above the line, below the line, and on the line). The agency maintains an in-house media department and partners with Carat (Dentsu Aegis) for broader media buying capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Design and Creative Content Services Creative direction and strategy, campaign idea development, new product launch support, graphic design, packaging design, point of sale design, signage design, copywriting, illustration, motion design, video production, livery design, photography, and sponsorship activations for brand marketing campaigns across client industries.
• Digital Services Digital strategy and implementation, pay per click (PPC), paid social, email marketing, search engine optimisation, programmatic video and display, and audience segmentation for targeted online marketing campaigns across client accounts.
• Social Media Services Social media strategy, social media management, community engagement, reporting and insights, influencer partnerships, social media photography, and social media videography and reels for brand audiences across platforms.
• Media Buying Services In-house media planning, negotiation and buying across print, radio, television, outdoor, programmatic video and display, and premium sponsorships, with national-scale capability delivered through the Carat/Dentsu Aegis buying group partnership for local or national campaigns.

Quantifiable outcome

• Tyrepower Queensland: 64 franchisee locations supported, $1.7M added value across radio, 29.8M reach with Broncos sponsorship, $0.35 average CPC for paid search
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Carat (Dentsu Aegis)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTAW partners with Carat, part of the global Dentsu Aegis buying group, one of the largest media buying groups in Australia. This partnership enables TAW to access national and large-scale media buying capabilities while maintaining their local expertise and client relationships.
• Comradery CollectivecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerComradery Collective works collaboratively with The Advertising Works across multiple client accounts including Falken Tyres, Pink Flamingo Gold Coast, and Neptune Homes. The partnership provides expanded capabilities in design, website hosting, Google Ads, copywriting, and social media management.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Thinkerbell: Australia-based independent agency offering "measured creativity" — combining creative, media, PR, and experiential under one roof. Comparable to TAW's integrated service model and Australian independent positioning.
• Howatson+Co: Sydney-based independent creative and advertising agency. Similar boutique scale and integrated creative-plus-media offering targeting major Australian brands.
• Cummins&Partners: Australian independent advertising agency with offices across multiple states. Comparable integrated creative + media buying services and similar mid-market/enterprise client base in Australia.
• Special Group Australia: Australian arm of Special, an independent creative network. Comparable independent creative + media agency competing for similar Australian brand clients.
• BMF Australia: Australian independent full-service creative and media agency. Highly comparable to TAW in operating model — independent, integrated creative + media buying, mid-market to enterprise clients across Australia.

Broad incumbents

• TBWA Australia: Australian operations of TBWA global agency network under Omnicom. Overlaps with TAW's media buying and creative services but serves national/international clients at significantly larger scale.
• Ogilvy Australia: Australian arm of WPP-owned global network Ogilvy. Operates across advertising, media, PR, and consulting at scale; competes with TAW for enterprise clients but offers much broader portfolio.
• DDB Australia: Australian presence of DDB Worldwide (Omnicom). Full-service creative and media agency competing for the same enterprise brand advertisers as TAW but at much larger scale.

Regional players

• The Brand Agency (Perth): Western Australia-based independent full-service advertising agency. Operates in a comparable regional Australian market niche to TAW but in a different geography (WA vs. QLD).

Others

• Carat Australia: Dentsu-owned media buying agency and TAW's stated channel partner. Not a direct competitor for creative, but the relationship illustrates the model TAW competes with when pitching media-only mandates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@advertisingworksqld
• Facebookfacebook.com/advertisingworks
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-advertising-works

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 The Advertising Works