Global independent media agency Brainlabs has acquired Sparro, Australia's largest independent agency. This strategic move is part of Brainlabs' global expansion plan and is expected to herald a new era for media agencies in Australia and beyond.

Sparro, founded in 2013 by brothers Morris and Cameron Bryant, handles an annual media spend of $200m for clients including Estée Lauder Companies, Catch, Temple & Webster, Petbarn, Webjet, and Destination NSW. The agency has won more Google Premier Partner awards than any other agency across Australia and is the country's largest spender on Google Ads.

The two agencies positioned the news not just as big for Sparro, but also signalling a new era of media agencies led by digital-first players. The pair claim to both offer tech and data-driven strategies around marketing automation, conversion optimisation, serach engine optimisation and programmatic media.

"I love Sparro and as we ramp up our global expansion plans I couldn’t be happier to officially welcome them to Brainlabs," said Brainlabs Global CEO, Daniel Gilbert. "Morris and Cameron are outstanding leaders who have built a remarkable business. This union signals a new era for media agencies and offers something ground-breaking for the Australian market.

"Like us, Sparro is fiercely independent and laser-focused on High-Performance media solutions, consistently delivering top and bottom line gains for their clients. Our combined power of the smartest minds, and tech and data-driven methodology is truly unbeatable."

The acquisition also includes social-first content and creative agency Jack Nimble, which has been part of Sparro since November 2021. This addition further strengthens Brainlabs' creative and social offerings to clients.

Brainlabs, founded in 2012 by Daniel Gilbert, has grown from a single employee to over 850, acquiring and integrating eight agencies and expanding its international footprint beyond its London HQ. In September 2023, Brainlabs announced its new investment partner, private equity firm Falfurrias Capital Partners (FCP), to further support the agency’s global expansion.

"The indies have been scaling to levels of staff, service and capabilities where we’re able to genuinely challenge the traditional holding groups. Brands are crying out for proactive, smart, hands-on marketing partners," said Cameron Bryant, co-founder and Partner at Sparro.

"More and more, they want those partners to be operating to business-level objectives and not just digital KPIs. This acquisition plays perfectly into that. It extends Brainlabs’ significant international presence to further strengthen its appeal to global advertisers, and it enables us to offer clients international coverage, not to mention the incredible career opportunities for our people. We already know we’re the market leader in performance, and together, we can provide greater depth, services and technology that sets us even further apart."

Most recently, Brainlabs opened its new Poland operations.

The two companies also highlighted Sparro's focus on culture and wellbeing including an in-house agency development coach, revenue share model for all staff, and an annual offsite retreat. The agency was named as the 6th Best Place to Work (100-999 employees) in Australia’s Best Workplaces List in 2023, the only marketing agency to feature in the list.

In 2021, Sparro acquired Jack Nimble, a social-first creative and production agency, founded by Adam Wise and Angus Mullane in 2017.