March 18, at the age of 45, John ‘Jack’ Clemenger Senior opens John Clemenger Advertising in the basement of the Lombard’s building in Bourke Street, Melbourne. Son Peter is with the company from day one on a starting salary of eight pounds per week. In essence, the agency was a radio production house that every week produced a stream of live programs and coincidentally produced the commercials for their sponsors. John Clemenger Advertising was more frequently called Clemenger Productions back then.
April 1, John Clemenger Limited is incorporated under the Companies Act, 1938. Clients in the early years included Darrods (the style store in the heart of Bourke Street), Kia-ora canned foods, London Baby Carriages, Guests Biscuits and Griffiths Sweets.
In May, John Clemenger Advertising expands and opens an office in Sydney, initially to provide resources for Melbourne client Kia-ora. The office made losses for more than 25 years but never closed down.
The Melbourne office moves to premises in the old boarding house known as Oxford Chambers at 473 Bourke Street, Melbourne.
Peter Clemenger moves to Sydney for 12 months, then spends 18 months overseas before returning to the company in Melbourne in 1952.
Jack Clemenger’s younger son John joins the agency, pretty much straight from university.
Jack Clemenger sends his son John overseas to the United States of America to learn about television, which was coming soon to Australia. John gets a diploma at the New York School of Television.
Jack Clemenger is elected President of the Advertising Association of Australia.
'In Melbourne Tonight' with host Graham Kennedy begins as a five nights a week variety television show – and so too does a great relationship between it and the Clemenger agency, which recognises Kennedy’s special talent to ad-lib and play around with products he was advertising in the live commercials.
Tobacco company Godfrey Phillips appoints Clemenger to launch their new product, Viscount Cigarettes. The brand takes off and soon becomes the number-three seller in Australia. In subsequent years Viscount became the agency’s largest client and at one stage was over 40% of the agency’s business.
In October, Clemenger expands to Brisbane and opens its third office, buying a one-third share in Garnsey Smith & Greene. The name is changed to Garnsey Greene Clemenger.
Jack Clemenger receives an OBE for his services to the community.
Major clients include Peters Ice-Cream, Guests Biscuits, Briquettes, Sitmar and Parsons Foods.
On February 8 Jack Clemenger dies. The agency soon after announces that it will be managed jointly by its two equal owners, Peter and John Clemenger.
In March Peter and John Clemenger purchase Sydney agency Cruickshank Maxwell and merge it with the Clemenger agency, which at the same time changes its status from being a branch office of the Melbourne agency to become John Clemenger (NSW) Pty Ltd.
Clemenger expands to Adelaide. Preference shares are exchanged with Martin Kinnear Neate and it becomes Martin Kinnear Clemenger.
Clemenger in Melbourne moves to 416 St Kilda Road.
Peter and John Clemenger, who each own 50% of the company, decide to sell some shares in the business to staff. The first two shareholders are Peter Cooper and Peter Rankin.
In December, Clemenger moves to Perth, buying into an agency owned by Ian Parkes and forming Parkes Clemenger.
Geoff Wild moves from Clemenger Melbourne to Sydney to become Managing Director.
The staff shareholding scheme that began with the sale of just 400 shares to two staff in 1969 is expanded, with 74,000 shares being offered to senior executives around Australia.
A holding company, Clemenger Australia Limited, is incorporated, and then acquires shares in John Clemenger and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
In May, having developed a relationship over a 20-year period, Clemenger makes the significant decision to join forces with BBDO and sell them a 35% shareholding. Peter Clemenger joins the BBDO Worldwide Board.
In January Clemenger buys Melbourne agency Alexander Moulton, which has handled Coles advertising for many years. The agency changes its name to Clemenger Moulton and Peter Harvie, who had joined Clemenger in 1966 as Radio Manager, moves to the agency to run it. Later, after the agency moved into the Bryson Centre on Exhibition Street in Melbourne, it changed its name to Clemenger Bryson.
In October Clemenger expands across the Tasman and purchases 20% of Colenso. Hylton Mackley, one of the four founders of Colenso and its first Managing Director, is still with the Clemenger Group today and is the company’s second-longest serving employee after Peter Clemenger.
In June, Clemenger purchases a 42.5% share in industrial advertising agency EG Holt & Associates – a company that has advertising and PR agencies in both Sydney and Melbourne.
In a move into Asia in October, Clemenger purchases a 25% interest in an advertising agency in Hong Kong, which had been operating at that time for just 12 months. The agency becomes Clemenger Wong & Waters.
The Clemenger Holding Company converts to Public Company status under the Companies Act.
The Brisbane agency changes its name to Garnsey Clemenger.
BBDO purchases a further 10% stake of the Clemenger Group, now owning 45%.
Clemenger buys 25% of Sydney agency Magnus, Nankervis & Curl.
Robert Morgan, the company Executive Chairman today, joins Clemenger Melbourne.
In February, Clemenger sells its interest in Clemenger Wong Waters (which had grown to 49%) to new Holding Company BBDO/Clemenger Limited.
Clemenger buys 25% of Batey Ads in Singapore.
By the end of the 1970’s, Clemenger has grown to become the second largest agency in Australia.
Clemenger Bryson becomes Clemenger Harvie.
Clemenger purchases a 25% interest in a Sydney-based sales incentive company called Sales Development.
Interest in Asia continues to grow with the acquisition of 20% of Malaysia agency Wings Creative Consultants.
Clemenger Direct is established to specialise in direct marketing. It later becomes the number-one direct marketing agency in Australia, with offices in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.
Clemenger Melbourne moves to 474 St Kilda Road.
Clemenger Direct Response establishes a branch office in Sydney.
In June, Clemenger purchases an 80% interest in Sydney agency Harris Robinson Courtenay.
Clemenger Sydney moves to new offices at 120 Pacific Highway, St Leonards.
Hylton Mackley is appointed Financial Director of Clemenger Australia.
Port Productions is created as a television production house (50% owned by the Clemenger Group and 25% owned by DDB Needham).
This year proves to be a stellar one for the Group. B&T name Clemenger Agency of the Year and Clemenger Melbourne wins AdNews National Agency of the Year. Clemenger Melbourne added $25 million in new business, including National Mutual Royal Bank, Just Jeans, Australia Post Express Courier, Bowater, Sorbent, Herbert Adams, Sportscraft, Libra, Fleur, Spring Valley, Angus & Robertson, Nabisco, Uncle Toby’s and Best Foods. Group pre-tax profit jumped 39.5% on the year prior to a new high of $16.84 million. Staff shareholders grew to over 300 in number. Clemenger Chairman Peter Clemenger is voted Most Outstanding Managing Director in a survey at the IAA Congress.
Robert Morgan becomes Managing Director of Clemenger Melbourne.
John Clemenger retires.
Greg Daniel, David Blackley and Robert Morgan are appointed to the Clemenger Holding Company Board.
Peter Harvie retires from the Clemenger Holding Company board.
The largest clients of the Group include Australian Dairy Corporation, BankSA, Just Jeans, National Mutual, News Corporation, Pacific Dunlop, Pizza Hut, Uncle Tobys, Channel Ten, National Brewing, Nestle, NSW Lotteries, Pepsi, Sterling and Yellow Pages.
Clemenger Melbourne wins AdNews National Agency of the Year.
Harvie Advertising changes its name to Clemenger Harvie.
For the second year running, Clemenger Melbourne wins AdNews National Agency of the Year.
The 50th anniversary of the Clemenger Group is celebrated and BBDO holds a worldwide meeting in Australia to help mark the milestone.
Robert Morgan is appointed Clemenger Group Chairman.
Clemenger acquires a majority shareholding in public affairs firm CorPol Alliances group, which is renamed Government Relations Australia in 2000.
Melbourne agency The Edge is acquired and merged into Clemenger Harvie to form Clemenger Harvie Edge (CHE).
Proximity Worldwide is launched in London as a new generation network that integrates database, CRM, interactive and DM principles. Clemenger Direct changes its name to Clemenger Proximity.
Clemenger Group acquires shares in Cultural Perspectives, a specialist multicultural marketing agency with offices in Sydney and Melbourne.
Experiential agency Traffik is launched on October 1.
Clemenger BBDO wins AdNews Network of the Year for the third year in a row.
Clemenger Group acquires shares in Cosway Australia, a leading corporate and financial communications firm celebrating its 50th year.
Quickstrike is launched on July 1.
Digital agency NetX is purchased and rolled into Clemenger Proximity in Sydney.
Clemenger Group acquires shares in Brandworld in New Zealand.
Clemenger Group acquires shares in Open Mind Research.
Government Relations Australia completes its national office network by joining with leading local public affairs adviser, Paul Everingham, to form GRA Everingham in Perth
Clemenger Group acquires Raydar.
Gallery De Pasquale in Brisbane is acquired and merged into the agency.
Open Mind Research becomes Hall & Partners | Open Mind.
Clemenger sells half of its shares to BBDO, which now holds 74% of the business.
Clemenger Group acquires shares in Touchcast.
Curtis Jones & Brown changes its name to URSA Clemenger.
Clemenger Harvie Edge changes its name to CHE Proximity and re-engineers itself as a data driven agency.
Clemenger BBDO Melbourne wins Campaign Brief Creative Agency of the Year for the fifth consecutive year, emphasising the agency’s creative strength over a sustained period.
Clemenger Group acquires shares in Redhanded.
Clemenger Group buys justONE.
Colenso BBDO is named the world’s best agency by The Big Won Report and the world’s best direct marketing agency, an astonishing achievement for our agency in Auckland.
Clemenger BBDO Melbourne wins the Interactive Agency of the Year award.
Government Relations Australia celebrates its 20th year and merges with Cosway to form GRACosway, Australia’s leading integrated public affairs and corporate and financial communications firm.
Channel 5 is 100% owned by Clemenger Group from July 1st.
Clemenger Group increases shareholding to take a majority interest in Marketforce.
After a rich 47 year history in Adelaide, Clemenger sells the agency and exits the Adelaide market.
hub+, Clemenger Group’s production agency, becomes eg+.
On March 18, the Clemenger Group celebrates 70 years since opening.
Colenso BBDO is ranked world’s #1 by Directory Big Won.
Clemenger BBDO Melbourne wins more awards at the 2016 Mashies Awards than any other agency in the world. They win Campaign Brief Agency of the Year in Australia for a record ninth time and the AdNews Award for Australia’s best agency.
Traffik Group is named B&T’s Experiential Agency of the Year. It also wins Experiential Campaign of the Year at the AC&E awards.
Clemenger BBDO Melbourne dominates creatively. On a world stage, it was the most awarded agency at the London D&Ads and it was crowned best creative agency in the world at Cannes winning a remarkable 56 Lions overall. Their TAC campaign Meet Graham won a total of 28 Cannes Lions including two Grand Prix in Health & Wellness and Cyber and is the single‑most awarded campaign of the Festival. In total, Clemenger Group wins 78 of the 144 Lions won by BBDO.
2018 sees CHE Proximity at the dawn of a new era in advertising after winning AdNews Australian Agency of the Year. CHE Proximity won four other awards on the night, including Victorian Agency of the Year, Customer Experience Agency of the Year, Best Use of Data, and Digital Campaign of the Year.
Clemenger Group purchases 70% of Digital Solutions company LEVO.
At this year’s 40th annual AWARD Awards, sponsored by the Australasian Writers and Art Directors Association, Clemenger dominated.
- We were Network of the Year, winning 22 Gold Pencils for eight clients led by Clemenger BBDO Sydney which won seven. Six of these were for work for Dry July ("Ducking Autocrat" campaign).
- Clemenger BBDO Sydney was named Agency of the Year.
- CHE Proximity won Best in Show for its AutoAds campaign for Carsales.
- And Carsales was named Client of the Year.
- Clemenger BBDO Melbourne awarded Mumbrella and Campaign Brief’s Agency of the Decade.
CHE Proximity and Colenso BBDO make the annual Contagious Pioneers list featuring the 10 best and bravest agencies on the planet that consistently create the most insightful and innovative campaigns.
