PR Agencies in Australia: Edelman, ICON, Thrive Ranked
By the Everything-PR Editorial Team Updated October 31, 2026.
The best PR firms in Australia include Edelman Australia, ICON Agency, Thrive PR + Communications, Herd MSL, Burson Australia, Sling & Stone and BlueChip Communication. Edelman is the largest global network operating in Australia, with offices in Sydney and Melbourne, according to Edelman. ICON Agency, based in Melbourne, was named the largest independent agency in Australia by fee income in PRovoke's 2022 rankings, B&T reported. Sydney leads corporate and financial work, Melbourne leads creative and lifestyle, and Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide have distinct specialties.
Summary
Seven Australian PR firms are ranked, led by Edelman Australia and ICON Agency, with nine more firms profiled.
Sydney leads corporate, financial and government work, Melbourne leads creative and lifestyle, and Perth and Adelaide usually need a local specialist.
Three head-to-head questions compare Edelman and ICON, Thrive and Herd MSL, and BlueChip and a global network.
Fees vary widely by scope. Ask each shortlisted firm for a written scope, team and fee.
Which are the best PR firms in Australia?
The table lists the firms Everything-PR rates highest and the reason for each. Fee figures appear only where a named source reports them.
Rank
Firm
Base
Why they rank
1
Edelman Australia
Sydney, Melbourne
Global network with the deepest enterprise bench; offices per Edelman's own site
2
ICON Agency
Melbourne, plus Sydney, Brisbane and Canberra
Largest independent by PRovoke fee income in 2022; PR, digital, creative and behaviour change
3
Thrive PR + Communications
Multiple offices
Independent with consumer, lifestyle, technology and corporate work, by its own description
4
Herd MSL
National
Publicis network; consumer, lifestyle, fashion, beauty and FMCG
5
Burson Australia
National
Strategic communications, public affairs and corporate PR
6
Sling & Stone
Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland, Singapore, Los Angeles
Founded in 2010; technology and growth-company briefs
7
BlueChip Communication
Sydney
Financial services, investor relations and crisis
Selection Methodology
Everything-PR's Australia ranking is produced by the editorial team using four factors: (1) scale, using fee income and headcount only where a named source reports them; (2) multi-city coverage across Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane; (3) independent recognition, including PRovoke rankings and awards; and (4) sector specialization, where a firm is the clear category leader.
Everything-PR is a publisher, not an agency. Inclusion is editorial and no firm pays for placement.
What does each leading Australian PR firm do?
Edelman Australia. Edelman is the firm of record for boardroom-level corporate reputation, crisis readiness and multi-market coordination. Its annual Trust Barometer is widely cited by Australian boards, and its scale gives it specialist benches in public affairs, corporate, technology and consumer work. Edelman says its Australian offices are in Sydney and Melbourne.
ICON Agency. Headquartered in Melbourne with offices in Sydney, Brisbane and Canberra, ICON sits at the intersection of PR, digital, creative and behaviour change. PRovoke reported its 2021 fee income grew 84.3%, making it the largest independent agency in Australia at that point, per B&T.
Thrive PR + Communications. Thrive describes itself as a large Australia and New Zealand independent, with consumer, lifestyle, technology and corporate work across several offices.
Herd MSL. Part of the Publicis network, Herd MSL is strongest in consumer, lifestyle and brand storytelling, particularly fashion, beauty and FMCG.
Burson Australia. After the Burson and Hill+Knowlton merger, the Australian operation covers strategic communications, public affairs and corporate PR.
Havas Red Australia. The integrated PR, social, content and experiential arm of the Havas network in Australia.
We. Communications Australia. The Australian arm of the global We. Communications network, positioned for technical and enterprise briefs.
Sling & Stone. Founded in 2010, it has grown from a Sydney specialist into a communications partner with offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland, Singapore and Los Angeles.
The Atticism PR. A boutique with offices in Sydney and London, focused on hospitality, lifestyle, technology and property.
The Ideas Suite. Founded in 2007 by former journalist Julia Nekich, with a journalist-led, narrative-driven practice in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
Adoni Media. Brisbane-based with national reach, founded by former television journalists and focused on media relations.
MediaCast. A Melbourne-headquartered integrated communications firm known for consumer campaigns.
BlueChip Communication. Sydney-based and focused on financial services, investor relations, financial PR and crisis communications.
9-Figure Media. A newer entrant working on publicity packages for entrepreneurs, executives and growth-stage businesses.
How do Australian PR cities differ?
Sydney leads in corporate, financial and government work, Melbourne is stronger in creative and lifestyle, and Brisbane has emerged as a hub for fast-growing consumer and small-business work. Perth and Adelaide have distinct specialties, and the table sets each city against the firms on this page that fit it.
City
What it leads in
Firms on this page to consider
Sydney
Corporate, financial and government communications
Edelman Australia, BlueChip Communication, Sling & Stone, The Atticism PR
Melbourne
Creative and lifestyle campaigns
ICON Agency, MediaCast, The Ideas Suite
Brisbane
Fast-growing consumer and small-business work
Adoni Media, Elevate Communication, ICON Agency
Perth
Mining, LNG and energy communications
A local specialist added to a national agency
Adelaide
Defence, agribusiness and wine
A local specialist added to a national agency
Perth's agency bench is built around mining, LNG and energy communications because that is where the region's corporate headquarters sit, so a firm without WA stakeholder and workforce-communications experience will struggle to compete there. A national brand should budget for a specialist add-on in Perth or Adelaide rather than assume an east-coast agency covers them.
How much does PR cost in Australia?
Fees vary widely by scope and by firm. Boutique retainers are commonly quoted in the low tens of thousands of Australian dollars per month at most, and global networks quote higher minimums. Ask each shortlisted firm for a written scope, team and fee before comparing, and see EPR's PR firm cost guide for pricing context.
How is AI changing how Australian brands hire PR firms?
Boards increasingly ask what AI answer engines say about a company, not only what the press said. A useful vetting question for any shortlisted firm is how it measures citation in AI answers alongside media impressions, and what specific services it offers for them.
How do you choose between Australian PR firms?
Edelman Australia or ICON Agency for a national campaign?
Edelman has the scale and specialist benches for boardroom-level, multi-market mandates. ICON is founder-led and more creative-forward, a better fit when distinctive creative matters more than enterprise coordination.
Thrive PR or Herd MSL for a consumer brand?
Thrive offers broad consumer, lifestyle, technology and corporate reach as an independent. Herd MSL has sharper depth in fashion, beauty and FMCG through the Publicis network.
BlueChip or a global network for financial services PR?
BlueChip is the named specialist in investor relations, financial PR and crisis for the Australian market. A global network such as Edelman or Burson makes more sense if the work extends beyond Australia.
Edelman is the largest global network operating in Australia. Among independents, ICON Agency was the largest by fee income in PRovoke's 2022 rankings.
Which city is best for corporate and financial PR in Australia?
Sydney leads in corporate, financial and government communications, while Melbourne is stronger in creative and lifestyle campaigns.
Are there strong independent PR firms in Australia?
Yes. ICON Agency, Thrive PR + Communications, Sling & Stone and The Ideas Suite compete directly with the global networks.
Which Australian PR firms suit technology and growth companies?
Sling & Stone, founded in 2010, is listed here for technology and growth-company briefs, We. Communications Australia is positioned for technical and enterprise briefs, and Thrive PR + Communications lists technology among its work. Ask each for named technology launches and the outlets that covered them.
Do Sydney and Melbourne agencies cover Perth and Adelaide?
Not automatically. Perth's market is built around resources and energy, and Adelaide's around defence, agribusiness and wine, so national brands often need a local specialist.
How much does a PR firm cost in Australia?
Fees vary widely by scope. Boutique retainers are commonly quoted in the low tens of thousands of Australian dollars per month at most, and global networks quote higher minimums, so ask each firm for a written scope, team and fee. Other Asia-Pacific markets: Japan · South Korea · India · Singapore · Philippines · China · Hong Kong
Written by
EPR Editorial Team
The Everything-PR Editorial Team is the staff byline for news, analysis and features on communications, reputation, AI visibility and digital discovery. Everything-PR has published since 2009. AI tools assist with research and drafting, and every article is reviewed by a human editor before publication. Coverage follows the Editorial Policy, and substantive corrections are noted on the article under the Corrections Policy.
