TLDR
Perth independent Dilate has been named media specialist partner for P&N Group, taking charge of strategy, planning and activation across both P&N Bank and BCU Bank. A new brand platform lands in October 2026 as the agency's first major deliverable. The win arrives as indie media agencies collectively captured AU$139 million in net new business over the past year.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
A two-bank brief, one independent agency
Perth-based independent Dilate has been appointed media specialist partner for P&N Group, the customer-owned banking organisation behind P&N Bank in Western Australia and BCU Bank in New South Wales and Queensland.[1] The scope covers end-to-end media strategy, planning and campaign activation for both brands, with one agency holding the whole funnel across three states.
Dilate is already working with P&N Group on a new brand platform scheduled to reach market in October 2026.[2] That gives the agency roughly six weeks from appointment to first major deliverable.
What P&N Group said it was buying
Rebecca Green, Head of Marketing at P&N Group, said senior-team access and a willingness to challenge strategy were the deciding factors, alongside Dilate's technical depth in attribution and data analytics for real-time business insights.[1] For a mutual bank competing against the big four, tracking brand spend through to performance outcomes in real time carries obvious weight.
Amanda Reid, Head of Partnerships at Dilate, said clients like P&N Group need a partner who can bring strategic clarity alongside the resources to support heavy growth phases.[1] Dilate operates with approximately 75 specialists across strategy, media, performance, content and technology.[1]
The pattern behind the win
Green's emphasis on senior-team access, people in the room who can challenge strategy rather than account managers relaying decisions, is the same rationale turning up in financial services pitches across the sector. The Dilate appointment fits that pattern squarely.
Independent media agencies captured AU$139 million in net new business in the 12 months to June 2026, according to COMvergence data, finishing above every holding-company network except Publicis and WPP Media.[4] That figure puts a number on the sector's momentum rather than leaving it as an anecdote.
August 2026 sharpened things further: indie media agencies took every new-business appointment included in B&T's monthly tally, including double wins for BMF and H+C.[5] The P&N Group appointment, announced in September, extends that run into a new month and a new category.
Industry formalises the momentum
Independent Media Agencies Australia opens its Indies Up Close forum on 23 September 2026 at Sydney's Mitchell Library, a structured attempt to put agency leaders directly in front of media partners.[3] The forum kicks off four weeks before Dilate's October brand platform deadline for P&N Group, timing the sector will likely use as a live case study.
SOURCES & CITATIONS
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What does Dilate's remit for P&N Group actually cover?
When does P&N Group's new brand platform launch?
How large is the Dilate team?
What is the IMAA Indies Up Close forum?
Xaviery Malinao writes for Prompt the Market on how brands and agencies are adapting to answer engines, drawing on Bushnote's work with clients across search, AI search and content.
