PMG accelerates marketing compliance with Plexus

PMG, a leading creative agency with over 25 years of experience, manages integrated campaigns for major brands both internationally and in Australia. Their work spans creative development, digital marketing, design, and accounting services. PMG understands how essential marketing promotions are in boosting brand awareness and engagement but faces significant challenges navigating Australia's complex, state-based promotional regulations.

PMG historically relied on in-house legal counsel to review promotional collateral, but as campaign volumes grew, the legal backlog began to slow their responsiveness, risking client timelines and satisfaction. Jessica Brigstocke, Senior Account Director, saw an opportunity to reclaim time and reduce costs by partnering with Plexus for marketing compliance, having successfully used Plexus’ Promotion Wizard in her previous role.

Before Plexus: legal bottlenecks and compliance challenges

PMG’s internal lawyer was the sole gatekeeper for promotion compliance, creating a bottleneck as the agency scaled. Managing collateral across multiple clients and adhering to different state regulations resulted in delays that impacted the agency’s ability to meet fast turnaround client expectations. Compliance reviews were time-consuming, and responding to promotional queries from clients and internal teams extended timelines even further.

Jessica Brigstocke explains:

 “Internally we’re running creative workshops, or we’re looking at creative that has been developed... The volume of collateral to review became too large for one lawyer and the subsequent backlog caused a drag in our ability to respond to clients in a timely manner.”

After Plexus: rapid, expert-backed compliance

By adopting Plexus, PMG gained a virtual extension of their team. They now submit five to ten promotion compliance requests through Plexus' Promotion Wizard each month. The platform’s rapid turnaround, with promotional terms and conditions (T&Cs) provided within 24 hours, enables PMG to meet tight client deadlines confidently.

Plexus not only generates compliant T&Cs efficiently but also handles queries about permits and legal nuances via the Promotion Cost Estimator and expert legal advice. Jessica notes:

“We use Plexus for quick advice, so we’ll send the Plexus team any quick promotional questions… and in like 20 minutes, half an hour, they’ll have a reply.”

PMG also leverages Plexus Advertising Wizard to review marketing collateral, ensuring all key visuals comply legally. Jessica says:

“What’s great about Plexus is that if there’s ever any grey area or we’re uncertain of the legality of something, we’re able to just drop the team an email and they’ll have a reply in half an hour.”

Recently, Plexus helped PMG navigate compliance for a new client in the heavily regulated vitamin industry. Jessica shares:

“The Plexus team really helped us understand and navigate the campaign so they can promote legally versus doing something against the guardrails of what they are supposed to do.”

Key outcomes

• Rapid Turnaround: Custom promotional T&Cs delivered within 24 hours, enabling PMG to meet last-minute client briefs.

• Volume Managed: 5–10 promotion jobs processed monthly through Plexus, boosting PMG’s compliance capacity.

• Expert Legal Support: Immediate access to specialist consumer marketing lawyers reducing uncertainty and risk.

• Cost & Time Savings: Faster compliance reviews cut delays and legal bottlenecks, reclaiming agency time and reducing costs.

• Comprehensive Compliance: Use of tools like Promotion Cost Estimator to accurately budget permit costs upfront.

• Client Confidence: Empowered PMG to run promotional campaigns in complex, heavily regulated sectors confidently.

Lasting impact

Plexus has become an integral part of PMG’s marketing compliance workflow, viewed as an essential extension of their team. Jessica reflects:

“It’s great, and it’s just making sure that everything kind of keeps ticking along. I think it’s great having you guys on board, and definitely see you as an extension of the team.”

With Plexus handling a significant portion of compliance workload, PMG can focus more on creative innovation and client service, knowing that regulatory and legal risks are expertly managed. This partnership not only supports current business needs but also positions PMG for future growth in complex promotional environments.