Bastion has launched its first media offering, adding a media planning and buying capability to the independent agency's full integrated offering across insights, strategy, experiential, data and tech, AI, social, influencer and creative.

The creation of Bastion Media was spearheaded by Bastion ANZ CEO, Cheuk Chiang, who joined the agency in April after almost five years in executive roles for Dentsu APAC.

The new division lands with Kellanova as a foundation client, with Bastion having this week won the creative account for the company's Kellogg’s Breakfast and Wholesome Snack portfolio, taking over from holdco firms Leo Burnett and VML. The agency's leadership are eying an ambitious goal of making Bastion Media the largest independent media agency in Australia.

"Launching our media offering is more than just an addition to our services; it’s a transformational step that fundamentally changes how we deliver stronger client solutions," said Chiang. "By bringing media together with creative and our unique breadth of our capability set not only completes our end-to-end offering, it positions us to deliver more innovative integrated campaigns, ensuring that every message, every channel, and every dollar is aligned to maximise impact and deliver tangible results.”

The agency views the launch as an opportunity to take a predictive data and insight-led approach to deliver better strategy and more innovative media solutions. According to Bastion, the recent push towards performance media and programmatic buying has left many with the belief that media has gone back to being places and spaces for ads - the agency contends that with digitisation, media should be platforms for ideas and innovation instead as that is what helps brands stand out, better engage and achieve greater ROI.

“Today’s CMOs face unprecedented complexity. They need partners who are not just suppliers but extensions of their team—unified, aligned, and accountable to the same goals. This media offering allows us to be that partner, providing a single, cohesive team that brings everything from strategy to execution under one roof,” said Chiang.

With the Bastion Media launch, the independent agency marks its entrance into the new era of integrated services in ANZ, where creative and media are no longer siloed but strategically interconnected.

Managing Partner at Bastion, Ana Lynch, said: "The power of having a single lead for each client is that everyone across our business is aligned to a shared objective, ensuring seamless execution and eliminating competing priorities that can arise in traditional agency village models."

Chief Strategy Officer at Bastion, Angela Morris, said: "Our new media offering enables us to fully support the CMO’s broadened remit by delivering holistic solutions that address every facet of brand building. We’re here to be a true partner, working as an extension of the client’s team to ensure alignment on shared objectives and outcomes," she said.

Commercial Director at Kellanova Australia, Ben O’Brien, said: "By bringing media and creative services under one roof, we are fostering a unified approach that will drive collaboration and push our brands into new territories, unlocking their full potential. This integrated team will deliver excellent creative work supported by first-class media, ensuring strong ROI."

Bastion's client list includes Air New Zealand, Microsoft, L’Oréal, Unilever, Kellogg’s, Ferrari, Cancer Institute NSW, and Whittaker's.