If you didn’t know any better, you might assume that 2023 had been a quiet year for Hatched. The agency didn’t enter any major awards but it more than doubled headcount at its Sydney ground and picked up four new clients that it told us account for nearly a quarter of its total billings.

The agency described 2023 as the most “defining” and “rewarding” season of its 11 years to date, emerging with “more scale, greater capability and total independence”.

Hatched started the year strongly becoming the media agency of record for both Brown Brothers and Reece in February. In April, Hatched won the media account for Forty Winks — with COMvergence putting its billings at $8.8 million — from Omnicom’s Hearts & Science. A month later, it also picked up the performance media work for GPT Group.

Hatched wasn’t only demonstrating the winning instinct in the pitching room. In 2023, it invested some $120,000 and the equivalent of two full-time staff to launch its HatchediD identity solution. This solution takes client first-party data and enriches it through previously unavailable large-scale strategic data partnerships. Algorithms then distribute the data to ad platforms, including Google, Meta and more than 70 publishers — boosting the efficiency of media planning and buying.

Hatched also took the time to revamp its parental leave policy, paying new mothers their super for 12 months with promotion and salary increases factored in. Secondary carers also get four paid weeks of leave. New mothers are also offered three paid “keeping in touch” days to attend an agency event, a workshop or even just a chance to reconnect with their team. In addition, to make our new parents feel good in their return to work, it provides one-to-one external coaching and a $1,000 wardrobe refresh.