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Entertainment media agency M moves into the creative world

After almost 20 years as the media agency for some of Australia’s biggest promoters, artists and music labels, Sydney agency M Advertising is expanding into the creative space.

Emma and Tim Triggs

Emma and Tim Triggs: “It’s a complex category with a unique set of challenges”

Founded 18 years ago by media specialist Emma Triggs, the agency is the force behind brokering media and sponsorship deals with Australian TV and radio networks as well as with brands associated with some of the world’s biggest artists, including AC/DC, Coldplay, Beyonce, Pink and Madonna, to name just a few.

It has also been the guiding force helping lure younger audiences to events by The Wiggles, Hi-5 and Disney.

Rebranding as M – The Entertainment Experts, the agency has also seen the return of former staffer, Triggs brother Tim, formerly digital director at the Media Store, return to the agency to head up its digital content push.

Emma Triggs said the agency had managed to carve out a unique space in the Australian advertising world by delivering in a complex market where, unlike with traditional products, the one-off nature of the music industry and the concerts that support it means there is no room for failure.

“It’s a very complex category and each project has a unique set of challenges,” Triggs said.

“You need specialised experience to get it right, including sophisticated targeting for entertainment audiences.”

In an industry many regard as little more than fly posters and radio grabs, she said the dynamic nature and short lived timing of many campaigns – coupled with the unpredictability of artists and their tour schedules, meant campaigns often had be delivered in under two days.

“It’s not like you have got to do a lot of work establishing a brand, it’s very much finding the right audience and the audience in Australia might not be the same as the audience in the US or in Europe,” she said.

While the entertainment brands might be established in their own right, Emma said the role was one where she almost had to curate an audience that would make the event a success not just from a sales perspective, but from the perspective of the event having the right vibe.

“You also need that agility and flexibility to jump into something and make it live in 24 hours,”  she said.

The agency is coy on the value of the industry but says it is significant. Tim Triggs told Mumbrella success or failure was immediate.

“When it goes on sale you are either going to know pretty quickly if it’s going to sell out or it’s going to bomb.”

“You have a really, really short time to get the brief because it is all held back until things are confirmed.”

Emma said the way in which concerts and music is promoted had evolved massively as the industry was disrupted.

“We have really shaped the way that it is marketed in Australia and New Zealand and now it is not so much, ‘okay we are going to do a show and choose TV and print and radio’, now it is very sophisticated the way that we target,” she said.

It comes down to which stations are playing what songs and where the most granular audience might be found.

The move into full service has been gradual for the agency as clients have asked for more, prompting the decision to adopt its new position.

With an expanded creative and digital offering, Emma said the opportunity was to get big brands more engaged in the music industry.

“These brands are big brands that use the bigger agencies but they love the fact that we know the market and we get the channel mix right every time without too many changes because we have done it many, many times before.”

Tim said there were bigger opportunities beyond music in the entertainment space.

“You think about gaming, you think about sport, theatre, classical music, arts, dance, film – with all that there is huge scope for us,” he said.

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