What The Future of Marketing Looks Like with IMAA CEO, Sam Buchanan

Sam Buchanan probably has one of the clearest views of what’s happening inside Australia’s independent media agency sector right now. As CEO of the IMAA, he’s across more than 175 indie agencies, which means he’s seeing first hand what consumers and businesses want from marketing right now in 2026.  In this episode, I’m sitting down with Sam to get an honest read on where the market is heading and what the best agencies are doing right.  Key moments: 0:00 - Where Australian media is sitting right now, and why agencies are dealing with more change, fragmentation and uncertainty than ever 2:40 - How indie agencies went from being the “wild card” in a pitch to winning most of them 5:46 - Why 2026 could be the year indie agencies stop being the alternative option 10:39 -  Why the indie agency network is working so well right now (and will it continue to?) 12:36 - How the IMAA actually manages competition between members when everyone knows everyone and the market is so small 14:27 -  What CMOs need to understand when they pick the cheapest agency in a pitch 16:09 - What the strongest indie agencies have in common, from how they hire to how they use tech 22:20 - What happens when brands start taking more media in-house, and where agencies still have a role to play 26:08 - What the IMAA census is showing about where indie agencies are investing, and the channels getting the most attention right now 29:27 - Sam’s predictions for what’s going to happen to indie agencies in the next 5 years 30:00 - Why the industry needs to rethink how young people get trained when AI is taking over the old junior work 32:28 - What media partnerships look like when more buying becomes automated If you want to get in touch with Sam, you can find him on Linkedin here, or visit IMAA www.theimaa.com.au If you're ready to start seeing growth in your franchise every single year then head over to IG @tfm.digital and DM us RECRUITMENT to grab a copy of our franchise development playbook. If you want your ads to finally get in front of the right audience, DM us CREATIVE over on IG @tfm.digital and we'll send you our creative strategy to get you started. If you want the TLDR of what you should actually care about, you're in the right place.  Hit follow because you're not gonna wanna miss these episodes. See the behind the scenes over at @tfm.pod - ⁠https://www.instagram.com/tfm.pod/⁠  Follow the TFM team over at ⁠https://www.instagram.com/tfm.digital/⁠ and ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@tfm.digital⁠  And ⁠https://www.instagram.com/taylorfielding/⁠ and ⁠https://www.instagram.com/mathewfielding/⁠