Clearwater Agency

Cremorne agency mixing social creative, paid media and SEO for FMCG and retail brands

5.0 (11 reviews)
Founded
2012
Team size
11-50
Headquarters
Melbourne, Australia
Hourly rate
$150/hr

Overview

About Clearwater Agency

Clearwater Agency is a Cremorne-based digital marketing and creative agency founded in 2012 by Glenn Lockwood. It combines social media creative, paid media, SEO, web and CRO, and has run social programs for General Mills brands such as Old El Paso and Betty Crocker as well as SEO for fashion label Tiger Mist.

Glenn Lockwood founded Clearwater in 2012, and the agency now operates from William Street in Cremorne under founder-director Lockwood and general manager Ric Luz, who oversees operations and technology. An aggregator using LinkedIn data puts the team at roughly two dozen people. The agency says it has picked up more than 13 industry awards and 70-plus finalist nominations.

Clearwater pitches itself as a blend of creatives and data people, and its services reflect that. Social media strategy and creative sit next to paid search and paid social across Google, Meta, TikTok, LinkedIn and YouTube, with SEO, AI search and answer engine optimisation, website builds, CRO, analytics and email rounding things out. It says it works best with established organisations: eCommerce and retail, franchise head offices, education providers, government departments, not-for-profits and B2B or SaaS firms.

The portfolio backs up the consumer focus. Social programs for Häagen-Dazs, Old El Paso, Betty Crocker and Kumon sit alongside work for skincare brand Natio and charity Fight MND. For fashion label Tiger Mist the agency reports a 90% lift in organic search revenue within four months and strong US traffic growth, work that was a 2024 Global Search Awards finalist. In 2025 it took first place for Best Use of Search at the same awards. A directory aggregator records 5.0 from 11 reviews, with rates around $150 an hour and $5,000 minimums.

The main reason to choose this Melbourne digital marketing agency is the overlap of creative social and performance channels, which few firms of its size do equally well. Buyers should weigh the modest review base and confirm the depth of specialists assigned to the channel they care most about.

What they do

Services

  • Social media strategy and creative
  • Google Ads
  • Paid social (Meta, TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube)
  • SEO and AI search (AEO)
  • Website development
  • Conversion rate optimisation
  • Digital strategy
  • Data and analytics
  • Email marketing

Specializations

Industries served

FMCG and food Fashion and eCommerce Beauty and skincare Education Not-for-profit Government Franchise SaaS

Ideal client

Who they help

Established organisations, especially consumer brands, education providers and not-for-profits, that want creative social content and performance media handled by one team.

Good fit for

Mid-market Enterprise B2C Non-profit B2B

Pros & cons

Pros

  • Rare mix of social creative and performance search in one mid-size team
  • Named FMCG clients including Häagen-Dazs, Old El Paso, Betty Crocker and Kumon
  • 1st place Best Use of Search at the 2025 Global Search Awards (agency-reported)
  • Published case study for Tiger Mist with 90% organic revenue growth in four months
  • Works across government, education and not-for-profit as well as retail

Cons

  • Small number of directory reviews behind its rating
  • Minimum project size (~$5,000) and $150/hr band rule out very small budgets
  • Broad remit, so specialist depth in any single channel should be tested

Pricing

Pricing modelMonthly retainer
Hourly rate$150/hr
Minimum engagement$5,000
Price bracket$$$

Notable clients

Häagen-Dazs Old El Paso Betty Crocker Kumon Tiger Mist Natio Fight MND University of Southern Queensland (UniSQ) Urban Smile

Awards & recognition

  • Global Search Awards 2025, 1st place Best Use of Search
  • Global Search Awards 2025, Silver Best Use of Search (SEO)

Common questions

FAQ

  • What services does Clearwater Agency offer?

    Clearwater Agency offers Social media strategy and creative, Google Ads, Paid social (Meta, TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube), SEO and AI search (AEO), Website development, Conversion rate optimisation, and more.

  • Where is Clearwater Agency based?

    Clearwater Agency is headquartered in Melbourne, Australia and works with clients remotely worldwide.

  • How much does Clearwater Agency cost?

    Clearwater Agency operates on a monthly retainer model, with an hourly rate of $150/hr, a minimum engagement of $5,000.

  • Who is Clearwater Agency best for?

    Established organisations, especially consumer brands, education providers and not-for-profits, that want creative social content and performance media handled by one team.

  • What industries does Clearwater Agency serve?

    Clearwater Agency serves clients in FMCG and food, Fashion and eCommerce, Beauty and skincare, Education, Not-for-profit, Government, among others.

  • How big is Clearwater Agency and when was it founded?

    Clearwater Agency was founded in 2012 and has a team of 11-50 people.

  • How do I contact Clearwater Agency?

    You can visit www.clearwateragency.com.au, or email hello@clearwateragency.com.au, or call 1300 796 122.

Editor’s take

Hire Clearwater if your brand needs social content and paid or organic search working together. A business wanting a narrow, technical SEO-only specialist may be better served by a pure search shop.