Telstra Launches In-House Agency, Roam, With Character, Animated Short

Australian telco Telstra has launched in-house creative agency Roam, with a stated intention to “push ideas further”.

The in-house agency described itself as “an agency of creative outsiders bold enough to challenge” and “curious enough to explore”.

The launch was accompanied by an animated launch film by Mighty Nice, featuring a mascot, Roamy, in various forms across multiple locations.

Roam’s headcount has grown from 10 to 35 since February, and will now “cultivate the culture of creativity and craft” the Telstra marketing team champions.

Head of Roam, and former OLIVER agency MD Gemma Poesaste, told LBB she believes the brand’s in-house team will be “world-class”.

“I’ve been lucky enough to build in-house agencies for some of the world’s biggest brands and I truly believe Telstra will stand among them as a world-class creative operation,” Gemma said.

“We want to be the most creative brand this side of the world, and to do that, we need an in-house creative team that drives that agenda.

“We’re assembling some of Australia’s best in-house creative DNA inside the brand, and we’re just getting started. We’re inviting great thinkers, makers, and collaborators to join us on the mission to redefine what excellent in-house creative can be.”

​Gemma told the In-House Agency Council’s Summit last month the team will primarily focus on performance marketing or data, but is “just as involved in making sure that the creative is excellent, the craft is excellent”.

“We have a really high-performing marketing team, which I'm so grateful for, but it's that planning that really helps. I've worked in a couple of models where the in-house is expected to pick up when required. But actually now, working at Telstra, we've got a half year planning cycle.”

The launch follows a string of creative successes for the brand, with lauded work including ‘Wherever Your Business Goes’, ‘Silent Films’, ‘Better on a Better Network’, and ‘20,000 Dominos’. ‘Better on a Better Network’ secured a Cannes Grand Prix this year, plus the brand won nearly a dozen AWARD awards alongside agency partners Bear Meets Eagle on Fire and +61. CMO Brent Smart also collected the Marketing Team And CMO Of The Year gong.