Bonfire

We're proud to share that Bonfire has been named a finalist three times over in the 2026 AMI Marketing Excellence Awards. We're finalists for: ◾Agency of the Year, Under 50 Employees ◾Data and Insight Driven Marketing, for our 'We Hear You' campaign with Luma ◾Future Leader of the Year Congratulations to Rob Di Giovanni, our Head of Marketing, who has been named a finalist for Future Leader of the Year. We're so proud to see Rob recognised at a national level. 'We Hear You' has been named a finalist in the Data and Insight Driven Marketing category. Built in close partnership with Luma, this marks our first finalist recognition for a creative campaign. Thank you to Sarah Allen, Kylie Marston and Bethany Lord at Luma for the trust they placed in us throughout the process. Congratulations to all the finalists and nominees. Thank you to the Australian Marketing Institute for continuing to set the standard for marketing recognition in Australia. The winners will be announced at the Gala Lunch in Sydney on 11 September. View the full finalist list via the link in the first comment.

Search is changing fast, and most marketers are still catching up. People are increasingly asking AI engines what to buy, where to go and who to trust. Those engines now hand back full answers, not a list of links. Very few marketers can yet explain what that means for their brand. It's the kind of friction that this year's State of Social was made for. Will Bal returns to the State of Social stage on Day One, 25 August, at 1:10pm in River View Room 1. His session, The Best Answer Wins, will cover what's shifted in search and what you can do about it before the end of the year. You'll walk away knowing: ◾ What's changed in search and why it matters ◾ What Generative Engine Optimisation is and why the first-mover advantage is still available ◾ Easy actions you can put in place straight away After this session, you'll be the one with answers when your CEO starts asking. Come find out what everyone's about to be discussing. In the future, AI might book your tickets for you. For now, you'll have to do it yourself via the link in the first comment. Use BONFIRE50 for $50 off.

Eight members of the Bonfire team have been promoted, and we could not be prouder of each of them. Madison Forward has been promoted to Performance Media Team Leader after ten years at Bonfire. Madison excels at leading and supporting those around her, and she'll manage and mentor the Performance Media team in her new role. Madison shares: "I'm excited to bring a fresh perspective and new ideas to the team, and am ready to help our clients grow." Rob Di Giovanni has been promoted to Head of Marketing. Rob steps into a more strategic role on our leadership team, overseeing Bonfire's marketing activities and strengthening how we capture and share the breadth of our work. Rob shares: "The best marketing I've done is hard to separate from the relationships behind it. Understanding is what produces clients who trust your judgement and customers who come back without being chased." Simon Bruno has been promoted to Data and Analytics Lead after nearly five years at Bonfire. Simon brings close to a decade of experience in SEO, analytics and digital marketing strategy to this role. Brodie McMaster has been promoted to Performance Strategy Lead. Based in our Melbourne office, Brodie has become a key driver of strategic thinking across Performance Media, consistently focusing on innovation, growth opportunities and improving the processes that help our team perform at their best. Anastasia Sipsas has been promoted to Senior Account Executive after five and a half years with the agency. Anastasia has led some of Bonfire's largest accounts with ease and care throughout her time with the team. Brayden Zuin has been promoted to Senior Performance Media Specialist. Over the past three years, Brayden has made an impact across Bonfire's key client partnerships, consistently delivering remarkable results and helping drive meaningful performance. Brayden shares: "Growing my career at Bonfire from a junior to a senior has been a very rewarding experience. The team over the last three years has guided and challenged me, and I owe my growth to them." Lovisa Jägrell has been promoted to the newly created role of Brand, Activations and Event Specialist. Lovisa joined Bonfire in 2024 and has grown quickly across events, content and PR. She is also the current event lead for the Western Australian Marketing Association. Sam Marshall has been promoted to Senior Account Executive. Sam brings a level of organisation and methodical thinking to everything he does, and his background across SEO and content makes him well-suited to this expanded role. Internal progression has always been central to how Bonfire grows. Seeing it play out like this is something we're genuinely proud of. Thank you to Mediaweek Australia for covering the story. Full article via the link in the first comment. Photo credit: Mike Dann, Senior Art Director at Bonfire.

In April, conversions fell across business reports in Australia despite not one customer having changed how they behaved. Issue 07 of The Bonfire Newsletter follows that gap between what our numbers say and what's actually happening. Evan Dela-Grammaticas on the GA4 change behind the April drop. Madison Forward on why the best-timed ad works long before the sale. Michael Chen on SEO so good that it stops looking like SEO. Lydia Barley on what Tasmania taught her about daily metrics. Read the full issue and subscribe below.

Congratulations to our Staff Award winner for this month, David Evans, and our runners-up, Brodie McMaster and Lovisa Jägrell. Dave Evans, Systems Engineer, won our Staff Award for his work developing an internal platform that consolidates Bonfire's automations, reporting and admin systems. Dave saw the opportunity, built the solution and has kept refining it as more of the team relies on it day to day. The kind of work that does not always get the spotlight, but makes a real difference to everyone around it. Brodie McMaster, Senior Performance Media Specialist, was one of our runners-up for taking the stage at two sell-out masterclasses in Perth in a single week. Both sessions were extremely well received, drawing large audiences and leaving a lasting impression on everyone who attended. A big effort, delivered with real expertise. Lovisa Jägrell, Brand, Activations and Event Specialist, was also recognised as a runner-up for an exceptional month. Lovisa planned and coordinated the masterclass program, delivered Bonfire's first video case study in five years, and led PR activity across the month. A lot of moving parts, handled with care. Thank you, Dave, Brodie, and Lovisa, for your hard work and the contributions you bring to Bonfire. One runner-up interstate, one who would rather stay behind the camera, and one marketing brain who had to get a little creative with the team photo. We did what we could.

‘We Hear You’ was built to reach women from 18 to 54, across digital and real-world spaces. Sarah Allen, Marketing and Brand Officer at Luma , reflects on how the campaign came to life and what it has meant for the women it was made for. For Luma, reach was never just a metric. People often come to them for the first time and say they wished they had known about the service ten or twenty years ago. This campaign was built to close that gap. From January to April 2026, 'We Hear You' delivered: ▪️7 million+ campaign impressions across YouTube, Meta, cinema and out-of-home ▪️45% increase in website sessions ▪️50% increase in new website users ▪️51% increase in bookings and enquiries Sarah reflects on the creative process, including her experience working with Creative Director Luke Williams and Senior Account Executive Abbie Toynton. We are proud of this one. Read the full case study via the link in the first comment.

Attention is easy to win for a moment and hard to hold. Issue 06 of The Bonfire Newsletter looks at what earns it and what keeps it: how culture shapes our taste long before we choose, why a clear point of view still gives a brand its edge, how one horror campaign turned a billboard into a conversation, and why Harry Potter might make more sense as a TV series than a film. Featuring insights from Bronagh Spence, Rene LeMerle, Anastasia Sipsas and Kelvin Sim.

Reaching the right doctor, in the right country, before the right event, is not a straightforward process. Rural Health West is a not-for-profit organisation that has been supporting the recruitment of doctors to regional Western Australia for more than 30 years, working collaboratively with government agencies and private organisations at local, state and national levels. In November 2025, they attended The Doctor's Job Fair in London and Dublin, the largest event of its kind for medical employers seeking to attract overseas doctors. To make the most of their presence, Rural Health West needed to reach UK and Irish GPs before the event and encourage them to engage with the team at the fair. With just $800 in media budget and a highly specific audience to reach, the campaign needed to connect with the right doctors at the right time. A single, targeted Meta lead-generation ad opened with a single direct question: "Are you a GP thinking about relocating to Western Australia?" The creative offered two pathways. Doctors who could attend the fair in person, and those exploring relocation more broadly. From October to November 2025, the results were clear: - 1 confirmed UK doctor relocating to Western Australia - $20.89 cost per qualified lead from UK and Irish GPs - $2.82 cost per click from targeted international audiences - 37 additional leads still being pursued For Rural Health West, that first result means one more doctor in a community that needed one. Read the full case study: https://lnkd.in/gDZTwZzd

This morning, our kitchen turned into a bakehouse. The Bonfire team came together once again for Australia's Biggest Morning Tea to support Cancer Council Western Australia. More than 10 dishes made it to the table, from sausage rolls and caramel slices to madalenas and chicken pot pie. Hayley White, Account Director, took the crown with her chicken pot pie, with Bronagh Spence, Content Manager, a very close second for her sausage rolls. We have supported Australia's Biggest Morning Tea since 2013. This year, we raised over $1,000 in donations and shared personal stories with each other that reminded us why this cause keeps showing up in our calendar. Thank you to everyone who baked, donated and showed up.

What a night at the 2026 Campaign Brief WA Oasis Ball. We're so proud to have been named finalists for Digital Agency of the Year, and to be celebrating Rob Di Giovanni as a finalist for Marketing Manager of the Year. Congratulations to all the winners, finalists and nominees. WA’s creative and digital community continues to set a high standard, and it’s a privilege to be part of it. A special thanks to the Oasis Ball Committee, Campaign Brief WA, and everyone who helped support The Salvation Army Australia through this year’s event.