Nunn Media’s performance agency Alley absorbs Innovate Online as it pivots towards ‘precision’
Nunn Media’s digital agency Innovate Online has merged into its performance agency, Alley, with a new positioning for the latter as “the precision agency” that aims to help brands reduce ad wastage.
The Australia and US-based Alley was acquired by independent media agency Nunn Media in 2021, while Innovate Online was bought in 2015.
The new merger will add 25 consultants to Alley’s headcount, with new offerings such as SEO optimisation, while Innovate Online’s office will become its Melbourne headquarters.
Nick Lavidge
Nick Lavidge, CEO of Alley, told Mumbrella that after working with Innovate Online on strategies across all media touchpoints, from traditional and digital to organic and owned, “it just made sense to take a more integrated approach”.
Despite a new positioning, Lavidge said the mission of helping clients make every ad dollar count remains the same – just with expanded capabilities after the integration.
“I think what we’ve been showing more of over the past year is that we’re not purely just performance agency,” he said. “We have the performance mindset, but all the campaigns that we run are truly full-funnel.
“We really believe that in order to be successful now in eliminating media wastage, being efficient, getting as much scale, acquiring the right customer, retaining them and driving financial impact to the business… you need to do more than just media.”
Alley currently offers clients in-house traditional media planning and buying via Nunn Media, alongside profitability planning, customer research and journey mapping, creative optimisation, conversion optimisation, and attribution/measurement.
In terms of what Innovate Online’s SEO services will bring to the mix, Lavidge said: “A great client list, an established team of content writers and comprehensive in-house technical capabilities, among other things.
“They’re bringing a wealth of knowledge when it comes to SEO, which can be easily complemented with our experience in paid search.”
Building an SEO strategy is not an overnight plan, Lavidge highlighted, and it doesn’t necessarily work for every client.
“You have to look at the search volume and there’s a lot of work and costs that goes into building a strong SEO strategy,” he said.
However, for brands with the right product and audience, long-term investment in SEO can” typically deliver dividends that are paid out for years to come”.
Matt Nunn, group CEO of Nunn Media, said of the merger: “Bringing Alley Group and Innovate together is a natural next step in the Nunn Media group’s mid-term strategy following our acquisitions of the two businesses.
“The move bolsters our position as Australia’s leading independent agency and ensures clients are provided the best and most effectively integrated marketing capabilities in market.”
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Darcy Song was a reporter at Mumbrella, covering media owners, adtech and social platforms. She left in October 2023.
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