Written by Marcela Balart 

At IMPACT, we put people first and pride ourselves on the strong partnerships and relationships we build with the people we work with. 

Founder and CEO, Nicole Webb, said: “Since opening our doors in 1999, the agency has always placed relationships at the heart of everything we do. By standing side-by-side with our clients, we are able to embrace change, share opportunities, and establish trust with customers, partners and stakeholders to drive action.” 

These are just some of our stories. 

SHL to Gartner: From psychometric testing to global leadership insights  

In 2002, psychometric testing firm, SHL approached IMPACT to help build its reputation in the Australian HR market. 

What began as a six-month campaign, turned into a 22-year client relationship and remains one of our longest – even working as the Australian agency of choice through two client acquisitions, one by CEB Inc in 2012 and the other by Gartner in 2017. 

Our award-winning work for both SHL and CEB has seen the client relationship evolve and thrive into what it is today. Under the Gartner banner, we have been able to build and position the organisation as an in-demand commentator, appearing in some of the world’s top tier business media.  

Former SHL Managing Director and now Managing Director of CEO network, Vistage Australia and New Zealand, Stephanie Christopher said:  

“I’ve had the pleasure of working with Nicole Webb and IMPACT across two organisations since 2007. Nicole is a true professional who not only understands the industry but also deeply connects with her clients’ needs. Whether it was during a crucial business acquisition, where they seamlessly took charge of our communications strategy with minimal notice, or more recently when Impact delivered exceptional work on our customer personas and refined our brand messaging and proposition, the expertise of Nicole and her team has always impressed.” 

Gartner, Director, Public Relations (Asia Pacific), Emma Keen, added:  

“This achievement underscores your unwavering commitment to excellence and the enduring value of our partnership. We feel very privileged to have been part of your journey for many years – your dedication, hard work, and expertise have played a major role in the success of our HR Practice PR program in Australia. We are confident that our partnership will continue to flourish and grow for years to come. Here’s to the next 25 years of shared success and collaboration.” 

Generation Australia: Connecting the dots on youth unemployment 

Generation Australia is an independent not-for-profit founded to help connect unemployed youth with employers who can’t find people with the skills needed for entry-level jobs – at speed and scale. 

CEO of Generation Australia, Malcolm Kinns, had previously worked with IMPACT while at THINK Education. In 2019, he called on IMPACT to support this organisation’s vital mission at a time when Australian youth unemployment was at a record high of 13 per cent and climbing.  

A communications strategy was developed to increase brand awareness around the not-for-profit to empower young people to build thriving, sustainable careers and provide employers with the highly skilled, motivated talent they needed. This included solidifying the organisation’s strategic narrative and owning the youth employment story in the media to build and extend its reputation.   

Generation Australia CEO, Malcolm Kinns, said: 

“I have had the pleasure of working with Nicole and the IMPACT team across many of their 25 years of history.  I think the fact that I keep coming back says it all.  No matter what industry or company I have worked with, they always offer an incredible level of support and tailor their approach to the specific circumstances of their client.  They are a genuinely caring and inclusive company that puts their full energy into whatever is on the agenda at the time.  Whether a large consumer awareness campaign or managing more direct communications to a more niche audience, they always deliver.” 

Unisys: Taking tech to the limit 

2007 was the year of the iPhone. It was the year social networking began ticking into the hundreds of millions and saw the rise of cybercrime. It was also the year IMPACT began working with global technology solutions company, Unisys.  

At the time, the organisation was better known for its origins as a producer of mainframes, rather than its expertise in outsourcing and security services. IMPACT embarked on a strategy to build market share and profitability by positioning Unisys as an expert commentator on security, industry issues and talent management, as well as enhancing the company’s reputation as a thought leader in the broader business.  

What followed was a 15-year client relationship. 

IMPACT’s day-to-day contact, Unisys Asia Pacific Director External Communications, Claire Hosegood, said at the time: 

“Working closely as an extended part of our team, IMPACT provides strategic advice and counsel, as well as trusted hands-on tactical implementation. They have strong media relationships, run media training sessions tailored to the needs of first-time media spokespeople through to our senior executive team, draft bylined articles, blogs, media releases, pitches, research reports, infographics and point of view papers. They have also produced additional content for our field marketing team including email campaigns, social campaigns and social posts. Importantly they take a creative approach and support our evolving business needs.” 

Nestlé: The beginning of a brew-ti-ful relationship 

IMPACT began working with Nestlé in 2013, initially providing public relations services to the Nescafé and Uncle Tobys brand teams.  

Our results and integrated approach (not to mention our award-winning campaigns) has meant that 11 years on we are regarded as “an extension of the Nestlé team”. 

Our partners in crime 

It’s not just clients that we have developed long-term relationships with. Some of our partners, who are part of The IMPACT Collective, have been with us from the get-go. 

Our behavioural psychology specialist, Kris White, has helped us unlock the minds and motivations of our clients’ customers. Jason Gemenis from Peppermint Design has been designing up a storm with us since 1999.  And photographer, Quentin Jones, from think Mammoth has been with us for almost as long as has our media trainer, Chris ‘The Hard Word’ Sheedy, who summed it up beautifully when he said: 

“1999 – Britney Spears, Pearl Jam and The Offspring were topping charts. Backstreet Boys wanted it that way, Ricky Martin was living’ la vida loca and Christina Aguilera was releasing the genie from the bottle.  

At the cinemas, Fight Club and The Matrix were telling unique stories, Bruce Willis became the focus of a boy who saw dead people, and Tom and Nicole were still feeling the love in Eyes Wide Shut.  

Over in the real world, Bill Clinton was acquitted in impeachment proceedings, the Kosovo War raged, Boris Yeltsin left the door open for Putin when he resigned as Russian President, and a little PR agency called Impact was born, in Sydney. 

And couldn’t they all have done with some good PR advice! Britney and Ricky, Tom and Nicole, Bill and Vladimir … if only they had the guidance that IMPACT offered to its very lucky clients during the last two and a half decades, most of whom have enjoyed longer and more positively productive careers than many of these names from 25 years ago. 

It’s amazing how far great PR advice will take you. Happy 25th, IMPACT!” 

If you’d like to know how IMPACT can work together with your brand, contact Nicole at: nicole@impactagency.com.au.