In a move described as a first in Australia, digital marketing agency Megaphone has been acquired by global AI company, Pixis.

The Melbourne-based agency, which generates over $46 million each month for its clients, is one of the first in the country to join forces with an AI tool. This partnership is expected to increase staff efficiency by 23%, saving over eight hours a week in administrative tasks and providing an additional 16,400 hours of time to clients over six months.

Megaphone's CEO, Lauren Oakes (pictured), said Megaphone was looking embrace and lean into new technologies rather than shy away from them. The AI-driven features of the platform are expected to provide stronger audience targeting, creative development, 24/7 account monitoring, and cross-platform optimisations.

"This integration will not only open doors for our team, but also for our clients," she said.

"Spending hours on account maintenance is outdated. AI can analyse data and trends better and 10 times faster than a human could dream of. We now have more time to put into other areas of their business like their creative strategies and execution. And while AI might not be new to anyone, the capacity it has to increase operational speed, quality and accuracy, and improve the daily management of accounts and will change the digital marketing space immensely."

Megaphone, which operates out of three Australian offices in Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane, has worked with thousands of businesses, including lululemon, OzHarvest, Alias Mae, F45, No Pong, Puma, Southern Comfort, and more.

"Pixis will enable us to stay ahead of the AI movement and enhance our service significantly. I am proud to see the company take this leap in innovation across every level of the business," Oakes concluded.