Robbins will join the agency in July from M&C Saatchi, bringing more than 30 years of experience working across sectors including healthcare, automotive, finance, government, and sport.

Robbins will work alongside Melbourne lead Michael McEwan and Droga5 ANZ Co-Chief Creative Officers Barbara Humphries and Damon Stapleton.

Barbara Humphries said Melbourne remained a strategically important market for the agency.

“Melbourne is an incredibly important market for us—creatively, culturally and commercially,” Humphries said.

“Emma is exactly the kind of leader we want helping shape what comes next: someone with exceptional creative standards, strong leadership instincts and a deep belief in the power of creativity to drive impact,” she added.

Stapleton said the hire reinforces the agency’s cross-market creative structure.

“What makes Droga5 different is our borderless approach to creativity,” Stapleton said.

“We bring the best people to our clients’ problems, regardless of where they sit, connecting talent across markets in service of our clients’ businesses,” he added.

Robbins has also been active in mentoring and industry development initiatives, including The Aunties Program and AWARD School. She currently serves as a board director at Maddie Riewoldt’s Vision.

Speaking on the appointment, Robbins said she was drawn to the agency’s integration of creativity with technology and customer experience.

“At Droga5, creativity sits right at the intersection of tech, data, and experience,” Robbins said.

“It’s that passion for culturally sharp, relevant and super effective work that I’m excited to help build with the team,” she added.

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Developed by Droga5 ANZ, part of Accenture Song, the campaign features a fictional small business owner named Maria and illustrates the potential impact of hiring the wrong employee.

The initiative is based on research conducted by SEEK in partnership with Nature, which found that hiring the wrong person can cost small businesses up to 26% of an employee’s salary, in addition to wider operational impacts on the organisation.

The campaign also highlights SEEK’s AI-powered recruitment tools designed to help SMEs identify suitable candidates more efficiently. These include AI job ad writing capabilities that generate job advertisements quickly, AI-driven recommendations that prioritise potential matches, and Talent Search features that allow employers to proactively find and contact candidates.

Building on the platform’s longstanding “SEEK and you shall find” brand positioning, the campaign adopts a “fish out of water” narrative approach. The story is told from the perspective of a small business owner in a mockumentary-style format, depicting the challenges and consequences of a poor hiring decision.

While the campaign incorporates humour and exaggerated characters, it is anchored in a common challenge faced by SMEs, where hiring decisions can have significant effects on day-to-day operations.

SEEK Chief Marketing Officer APAC, Maryanne Tsiatsias, says: — “SMEs are more time poor than ever before, and at SEEK we are always investing in product experiences that offer the best possible matching capability for SMEs to find the right person for their business. A wrestler in an antiques store is a light-hearted, entertaining way to visually demonstrate the impact a wrong hire can have – and exactly why having the right tools to find the right match matters so much.”

Droga5 ANZ Creative Director, Connor Beaver, says: — “Ricky the wrestler is a lovable guy, but he’s not quite the right fit for an antiques shop. We think these spots do a great job of highlighting how SEEK’s tools can really give SMEs a leg up in the hiring process – and we’ve loved working with the team at SEEK to bring them to life.”

The campaign comprises three 30-second films, each demonstrating how SEEK’s tools can help small businesses find suitable candidates quickly. It is running across broadcast video-on-demand, online video, radio, search, display, social media, and SEEK-owned channels across Australia and New Zealand.

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The campaign, “No Place To Grow”, created with Droga5, part of Accenture Song, replaces the domestic setting of children’s height charts with public walls in Sydney and Melbourne—turning a marker of growth into a signal of instability.

Hand-drawn charts, marked with the average height of Australian children aged four to twelve, have been installed in streets and public spaces. Each carries a blunt message: no child should grow up without a home.

The intervention is designed to interrupt routine foot traffic and draw attention to a problem that often goes unseen. 

Of the nearly 29,000 children in Australia without stable housing, many are not on the streets, but in temporary or precarious living conditions—cars, couches, tents, or out-of-home care.

The installations include QR codes linking to donation pages, aiming to convert awareness into direct support for affected families.

The work spans multiple markets, with teams from Droga5 and Accenture Song offices in Australia, London, Dublin, and New York contributing to the idea and execution. 

It also brings together a group of artists and production partners, including photographer Simon Harsent, muralist Shaun Devenney, and Apparition Media.

Noah Yang, Founder of We Are Mobilise, said, “We wanted to find a way to make people feel the scale of this crisis, not just read about it. A height chart is something many families know. It belongs on a wall at home.”

Yang stressed, “Seeing one on a street will hopefully stop the public in their tracks and make them remember that every child deserves a safe place to call home.”

Lennie Galloway, Creative Director at Droga5 ANZ, said, “It’s such a beautifully simple idea that will show this issue in a new light. It’s been a privilege to help make it happen here in Australia for the creative team.”

Further adding, “Bringing it to life was a true team effort—spanning time zones, roles, and markets—and a testament to what’s possible when people across the Droga5 and Accenture Song network rally behind something they believe in.”

The campaign will remain in place across Sydney and Melbourne until April 20, supported by digital out-of-home placements to extend reach across both cities.

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Developed in partnership with Droga5 ANZ, which is part of Accenture Song, the campaign highlights the cultural and community significance behind Australia’s postcode system. It also marks Australia Post’s largest national brand campaign to date.

Originally introduced by Australia Post in 1967 as an administrative system, postcodes have since become identifiers of local identity and community across the country. The campaign aims to reflect this evolution by showcasing the diversity of neighbourhoods represented by each postcode.

Using the familiar visual of the four white boxes found on the front of an envelope, the campaign features hundreds of creative executions representing communities across Australia. These executions portray everyday moments from different regions—from remote areas such as Cooladdi (4479), which has only two residents, to urban suburbs like Point Cook (3030), home to around 70,000 people.

The campaign spans every state and territory, with residents and postal workers featured to reflect local experiences and stories.

Hero films directed by Sarah Adamson of Photoplay feature a recurring postcode sculpture symbolising Australia Post’s presence across communities. Meanwhile, photographer Cory White travelled across the country to capture still images depicting daily life in different localities.

These visuals form part of a broader campaign that includes hundreds of still images and thousands of postcode-specific digital and social assets designed to reflect local communities.

The initiative is being rolled out nationally across film, out-of-home, digital and social channels, as well as localised executions tailored to specific regions.

According to Australia Post, the campaign was developed in collaboration with its wider agency partners, including BRX, Keep Left, Thinkerbell and Wavemaker.

Aimee Dixon, general manager for enterprise brand and retail marketing at Australia Post, said, “Australia Post introduced the postcode system in 1967 as an administrative tool, but over time postcodes have taken on a cultural significance that goes far beyond four numbers in a box.

“Each postcode is an encapsulation of so many different elements of a community – the businesses, the food, the sporting clubs and of course, the people, that make that neighbourhood unique. This campaign is designed to remind the nation that our team deliver for every single one of these postcodes, connecting Australians with each other, and the world.”

Meanwhile, Connor Beaver, creative director at Droga5 ANZ, said the campaign sought to depict authentic experiences across Australia.

“When we first envisioned this campaign, we were very clear that we wanted to represent all of Australia not the version you might see in a tourist brochure, but the real places and spaces that locals interact with on a daily basis.

“Sarah and Cory have done a terrific job getting under the skin of these communities, capturing real moments that we hope resonate with the people who call these postcodes home.

“Working alongside Australia Post, and our agency village partners, BRX, Keep Left, Thinkerbell and Wavemaker, we’ve built a campaign that reaches all 2655 postcodes.”

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The campaign addresses a long-standing question among Australian consumers about why the drink is called -196. Despite the product’s popularity—known for its blend of shochu, vodka and whole lemons—the meaning behind the name has remained obscure. The new series of ads uses that confusion as the creative starting point.

The films follow a narrative that begins with a search for answers in local pubs and nightclubs before shifting into a surreal sequence through a Tokyo subway and late-night convenience stores. The story culminates in an explanation from the brand’s recurring scientist character, who reveals that the name refers to Suntory’s Whole-Freeze-Crush technology, which freezes lemons at -196°C before crushing and infusing them with alcohol.

Directed by Arthur Studholme of Finch and featuring Japanese actor Akira Sato, the campaign runs across BVOD/SVOD, online video, out-of-home, social, and in-store channels. Droga5 Tokyo partnered closely on the work to maintain an authentic, stylised depiction of contemporary Japan.

Barbara Humphries, chief creative officer of Droga5 ANZ, said, “It’s been a lot of fun creating the next instalment of -196 madness with our friends at Droga5 Tokyo and Finch. It’s always great when a simple product truth can unlock such a bonkers world to play in, allowing us to create moments as intense as the drink itself.”

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Cooper and Conner were part of the team behind the recent Benee Bagels campaign for ASB, with their work influencing legislation, been cited in academic research, and made a lasting mark on culture.

Over nearly 20 years working together – across DDB, Colenso, The Monkeys, and now Droga5 ANZ – Cooper and Conner have helped shape campaigns for some of New Zealand’s biggest brands, including ASB, Meridian, Asahi, Lion, SKY TV, Westpac, Volkswagen, McDonald’s, Pink Batts, BNZ, Burger King, and Cadbury. They’ve also worked on campaigns like Steinlager’s Deep Dive, BMW’s Reverse April Fools, Paw Justice: Animal Strike, and Don’t Trademe.

In further appointments, associate creative directors Lennie Galloway, Thomas Gledhill, Max Rapley and Danny Pattison, have been promoted to creative directors – reinforcing Droga5’s commitment to nurturing talent and delivering world-class creativity across the region.

Creative duo Galloway and Gledhill were instrumental in delivering ‘We Go There’, the provocative brand relaunch for SBS, and since joining Droga5 in 2024, the pair have delivered standout campaigns for high profile clients including Meat & Livestock Australia. Before Droga5, they spent four years at Goodby Silverstein & Partners in the U.S., working on Cheetos, Lay’s, and Autodesk, and were named Rising Stars of Madison Avenue.

Pattison and Rapley each bring over a decade of experience working with leading brands. Both have led purpose-driven campaigns for NRMA Insurance, Telstra, MLA, Crown Resorts, UNICEF, and Uluru Dialogue – and played key roles in Droga5’s recent pitch wins; Tourism Australia and Optus.

The newly appointed executive creative directors and creative directors will work alongside Hugh Gurney and Joe Sibley–both promoted to ECDs in December 2024–to continue pushing creative boundaries and delivering bold, innovative work for clients across the ANZ region.

James Conner, Executive Creative Director, Droga5, ANZ said, “We’re honoured to be stepping up as Executive Creative Directors, and excited to support Damon, Barb and CEO Matt Michael in building Droga5’s trans-Tasman creative department, helping shape bold, impactful work across both New Zealand and Australia.”

Meanwhile, Christie Cooper, Executive Creative Director, Droga5, ANZ, commented, “We’re excited about the opportunity to work as the creative leads on an impressive portfolio of clients across the ANZ region and we feel really lucky to be a part of such a strong creative team.”  

Barbara Humphries, Co-Chief Creative Officer, Droga5 ANZ, stated, “These promotions recognise the incredible talent we have in the business and the lasting impact each of them has made. Having worked closely with them, I know they’ll bring even more creative firepower to our clients across Australia and New Zealand.”

Lastly, Damon Stapleton, Co-Chief Creative Officer, Droga5 ANZ, said, “Reshaping the senior creative team puts our borderless creative model into action. With this team in place, we’re set to deliver outsized ideas for ambitious brands across the Tasman.”

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The provocative film that can only be viewed on SBS sits within a larger campaign, created by Droga5 ANZ, part of Accenture Song. Directed by Damien Shatford from The Sweetshop. 

The campaign includes creative executions across television, outdoor and digital that reinforce SBS’s role as the network that continually dares to push the envelope, in a landscape where other networks and streamers offer generic and often homogenised content.

Jane Palfreyman, chief marketing and commercial officer at SBS, said, “At SBS we know who we are and in our 50th year this unique campaign pays tribute to that heritage. We are a national broadcaster who is prepared to truly go there. To challenge, to inform, and to provoke with purpose.

She added, “We also know many Australians affectionately, if not jokingly, think SBS stands for Sex Before Soccer… and we’re okay with that. This campaign acknowledges that legacy, as well as the place of trust that SBS has built in the minds of millions of Australians. Amid the intense competition in the streaming sector, this campaign acknowledges there are still some TV shows that really stand out – and these can only be found on SBS On Demand.”

Jane also quipped, “While the creative is playful, clever and encourages audiences to reappraise our brand, we’ve also thought carefully about how we show the various creatives in this campaign, in line with our standards and audience expectations.” 

The campaign is spearheaded with a 60 second film so daring and so SBS, it can’t be played anywhere but SBS.

Moreover, the campaign is also complemented by a series of billboards that leave everything to the imagination, featuring bold headlines that hint at the inimitable content on SBS On Demand. The media strategy and planning is led by Hearts and Science.

Meanwhile, Tara Ford, chief creative officer at Droga5 ANZ, commented, “This campaign is more than just provocative—it has all the DNA of SBS. Every scene represents something you’ll see on the platform that you won’t see anywhere else. Even the format—creating an ad that can’t be seen everywhere —brings that idea to life.”

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Meanwhile, Droga5 Australia chief creative officer Tara Ford has been named the chief creative officer of Droga5 London. Based in London, Ford will take on the creative helm, working closely alongside Droga5 London CEO Bill Scott and chief strategy officer Will Hodge.

The new ANZ creative line up is part of an orchestrated creative restructure to reinvent Droga5’s worldwide offering and reposition the expanding global network for its new phase of growth and ambition under Droga5 Global CEO Mark Green.

Speaking on this move, Damon said, “Droga5 has always been a bastion of world-class creativity, and it makes me proud to be able to work with all the great and talented people of Auckland, Sydney and Melbourne to add to Droga5’s story. Having the larger playing field of Australia and New Zealand with so many more Lego pieces to push creativity forward is always going to be fun. On top of that, I get to partner with somebody as massively talented as Barb which makes that journey even more special. I look forward to great ideas and making great stuff.”

Meanwhile, Barbara commented, “I’m really proud of the recent momentum as part of The Monkeys, Song and now Droga5, and learning from a creative force like Tara over the past few years has been invaluable. Now, with the opportunity to bring together more of our talented people across three offices, partnering with the brilliant Damon Stapleton and long-time collaborator Matt, I’m super excited about the opportunities ahead of us.”

It is worth noting that in 2024, Droga5 acquired award-winning Brazilian agency SOKO as well as welcomed The Monkeys in Australia and New Zealand – co-founded by Mark Green – to its network.

Matt Michael, CEO, Droga5 Australia & New Zealand, stated, “I’m excited for Tara and looking forward to seeing her make the incredible kind of impact she has made in Australia in another part of our global network. Her move to head up London further underscores the incredible regional and global opportunities available to our creative talent. Having worked closely with Barb and Damon over the years, I’m thrilled to see these two heavyweights unite, strengthening our creative firepower for clients across the region.”

He added, “This move reinforces our commitment to borderless creativity, driving transformative impact for our client’s businesses, brands, and reputations in a way that continues to lead the world. With the creative calibre of Damon and Barb leading the charge, the next phase of Droga5 ANZ is set to be truly exciting.”

Mark Green, global CEO at Droga5, said, “It is always great to see people you have worked with closely for many years take on new challenges. With Tara moving to London, we didn’t hesitate to elevate Barb and Damon, and it felt like the perfect opportunity for everyone to advance their careers and bolster the creative pedigree of Droga5 globally.”

Meanwhile, Pelle Sjoenell, worldwide chief creative officer, Droga5, commented, “We’re fortunate to have such extraordinary talent within the Droga5 global family. It’s an embarrassment of riches to have world-class creative leaders like Tara, Barbara and Damon. As we welcome Tara into a new chapter in London and unite Barbara and Damon’s creative firepower for ANZ, it allows us to work without borders — harnessing our people, capabilities, and influence to make a real impact for our clients and move us closer to our ambition of being the most influential creative company.”

Speaking on her new move to the agency’s London office, Tara said, “I’ve had an amazing time at The Monkeys, now Droga5 ANZ, working with some exceptional talent but the opportunity to take on my next big challenge of Droga5 London was just too alluring. Droga5 ANZ is in great hands with Barb and Damon at the helm and I have no doubt the agency will flourish under their leadership.”

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Created by Droga5 ANZ, part of Accenture Song, and directed by Max Barden from The Sweetshop, the ad was created with 100% real Australian comments sourced from online platforms including Instagram, TikTok, Reddit, Facebook and YouTube.

From how to make the perfect cuppa, to some of the year’s most viral moments – this year’s ad was created using real online comments that divided our nation on so many topics.

With its typical tongue-in-cheek humour, the ad encouraged people to get out of the comments and get stuck into a lamb cutlet instead, as the shared love of lamb is one thing Aussies can all agree on.

Nathan Low, general manager for marketing & insights at MLA, said that the Summer Lamb campaign showcases lamb as the protein that brings Aussies together.

“When you delve into the world of online commentary, it would leave you thinking we’re all at each other’s throats, no matter how trivial the topic. But in real life, we don’t treat each other like that. The Summer Lamb campaign is an irreverent reminder that we’re at our best when we’re united, and there’s no better way to bring everyone together than an Aussie Lamb BBQ,” he explained.

The annual lamb ad comes off the back of another incredible year for lamb production in Australia. For the year to September 2024, Australia produced 488,566 tonnes of lamb meat. This was almost as high as the number reached for the full year of 2023, which was the highest on record.

“As producers have continued to send their lambs to the market leading into Summer, we can expect plenty of lamb on the shelves as the campaign launches. Consumers have also continued to show their support for lamb on the back of these campaigns. For example, during the six-week campaign in 2024, purchase volume increased 18.9% compared to the previous year and purchase volume per trip increased 9% compared to the previous year,” he further added.

Building on the ‘Share the Lamb’ brand platform, the five-week integrated campaign features topical jokes, a good dose of satire and of course, lots of mouth-watering lamb. It will feature prominently across online video, cinema, retail out-of-home, paid social and PR.

To keep lamb top of mind and drive purchase in store, the campaign will also connect consumers with a presence in major retail environments including Coles, Woolworth’s, IGA, Costco, Drakes and butcher stores. Product-focused online promotion, digital screens, catalogue, digital assets and point of sale activity will deliver meal inspiration and drive purchase in store. The current issue of Rare Medium magazine will also feature Australian Lamb as a key focus, and have content promoted via paid media.

The full-length ad premiered during the national evening news of Seven and Nine on the 7th of January. This will be followed by a national rollout across free to air, catch-up and subscription TV, cinema, paid social and retail out of home (OOH) channels.

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As part of the continued move towards a more national approach, Hugh and Joe will report into Tara Ford as CCO Droga5 Australia and will work closely with Milla McPhee, chief strategy officer at Droga5 Australia and Matt Michael, CEO at Droga5 ANZ.

“Hugh and Joe are tremendous creatives and wonderful leaders of talent, who we’re sure will continue to help create world class work from Droga5 in Melbourne,” Ford said.

Meanwhile, Michael commented, “Hugh and Joe were our first team in Melbourne and as long-term members of our creative team, we’ve had the chance to see them grow, so it’s a pleasure to have them take roles as Executive Creative Director I Melbourne as we transition into the future as Droga5.”

“Droga5 make some of the best work in the world, so we jumped at the opportunity,” said Hugh and Joe in perfect unison.

The Monkeys became Droga5 at the start of this month, with the aim of delivering outsized impact through outsized ambition and provocative thinking.

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