303 returns to its roots in ANZ as MullenLowe disappears

With the retiring of the MullenLowe agency brand under the Omnicom-IPG merger, Australian agency 303 MullenLowe, announced it will continue to operate as an independent, while returning to its original name of '303'.

303 had been founded in Perth in 1991 and later expanded to Sydney before becoming 303 MullenLowe under Interpublic Group (IPG) in 2016.  In 2021, IPG sold a majority stake in 303 MullenLowe and a minority stake in Mediahub Worldwide Asia-Pacific to marketing services group Attivo, which operates in Australia, New Zealand and the US.

In a release following Omnicom's takeover of IPG, the business maintained that 303's new ownership structure will remain majority owned by Attivo Group, with the ownership structure of sister agency Mediahub also unchanged. The stakes formerly held by IPG will continue to be held by Omnicom. 

“The team is embracing the opportunity to take the wheel of the agency’s future direction at a local level," Attivo Executive Chairman ANZ, Anthony Gregorio said. "With so much change at a multi-national level, it’s a great opportunity to take a capability-rich offering to market under a single brand."

303 now operates in Perth, Sydney and Auckland, combining media, creative, strategy, digital, PR and retail activation services. Clients include Sanitarium, Bayer  Budget Direct, OMO, WeetBix, Lotterywest, and SafeWork NSW.

Attivo Group CEO ANZ, Sue Squillace added that the agency has "built a strong local position, based on its ability to help the ambitious brands of Australia, particularly those with a conviction to stand for something and effect real change. And it will continue to offer a combined suite of services that deliver agile solutions for clients."