The Adelaide advertising firm that marketed the Marshall Government’s energy and jobs policies and boasted corporate clients including Caltex and Nova Systems has fallen into liquidation.
Hybrid Agency worked with the State Government on its home battery scheme and ‘jobs of tomorrow’ campaigns, anti-smoking and influenza safety campaigns for SA Health and a voting campaign for the SA Electoral Commission, among others.
It also produced campaigns for the former Weatherill Government and had corporate clients ranging from SA defence contractor Nova Systems, oil giant Caltex and Adelaide Hills brewery Prancing Pony, and managed marketing and promotional websites for a variety of businesses.
Members of the company, led by Robert Porcaro and Craig Jackson, and first registered in South Australia in 2004, resolved to wind it up yesterday afternoon.
Liquidator Tim Clifton, of Clifton Hall, told InDaily this morning that the business had 13 staff – most of them full-time, but a couple of casuals and part-timers – all of whom were now out of a job.
He said Hybrid Agency owed about $1 million, or potentially up to $1.5 million, to approximately 20 creditors.
“It’s the usual range of employee entitlements, superannuation, landlord (and) trade creditors,” said Clifton.
“The business has ceased trading and unfortunately the staff have been terminated.”
Clifton said several local companies also owed Hybrid Agency money.
Clifton said he was at the early stages of his investigation into the causes of the collapse.
“I only know the end position: they have creditors they couldn’t meet,” he said, adding that although the company was likely to be wound up, there was a possibility it could be be sold to a competitor.
Hybrid Agency was involved in a joint venture with independent creative agency Cummins&Partners – forming Cummins Hybrid – that began in February 2017 and ended almost exactly a year later, according to reports from Mumbrella.
There was no response at the Hybrid Agency telephone line, or by email, this morning.