Independent marketing strategy · Gold Coast, Australia

Progress,
powered by perspective.

AVNU is a strategic brand and marketing consultancy helping local businesses grow through sharper positioning, stronger branding, and more effective marketing.

With experience across multiple industries, AVNU partners with businesses to turn marketing into a genuine growth driver, improving visibility, attracting the right customers, and creating practical strategies that deliver measurable results.

Start a conversation → View services
Automotive Travel & Tourism Hospitality Retail SaaS Property Fintech Consumer Goods Automotive Travel & Tourism Hospitality Retail SaaS Property Fintech Consumer Goods

Cut through the
noise.

Most marketing problems aren't a shortage of ideas. They're a shortage of clarity. Clarity of target markets, messaging and tactics. We often try to be all things to all people, which leads to wasted resources and money.

AVNU provides that clarity. I work as an embedded strategic partner to businesses, bringing two decades of in-the-trenches operator experience to the brief.

Not theory. Not slide decks. Work that cuts through the noise and dials in a strategy that generates results.

01
Brand Strategy
Positioning, narrative, and brand architecture for businesses ready to step out from the shadows.
02
Fractional CMO
CMO level marketing leadership embedded into your business. Strategy, team, vendors, performance.
03
Growth & Performance
Paid, organic, conversion. A diagnostic and a plan you can actually execute without wasting your money.
04
Campaign & Creative Direction
Creative direction and concepts that actually connect with your target audience, influencers and decision makers.
05
Web Design & Optimisation
Building new websites, or making the one you've got work harder. Conversion-led design that turns visitors into customers.
06
Marketing Audit & Vendor Review
A clear-eyed look at your current tactics, agencies and partners. Where the budget is working, where it's leaking, and how to get more for less.

Recent work.

A few recent engagements. Please feel free to ask to run through these engagements and more.

SME
PROPERTY PERFORMANCE

RAN SEO AND AI OPTIMISATIONS ACROSS WEBSITES.

+528%
Increase in organic search impressions AND clicks through to the site in the first month.
LARGE BUSINESS
Travel & Tourism Fractional CMO

Target market assessment and realignment of tactics with true decision makers. 

+10%
Additional revenue above set targets, 66% increase in brand awareness and new sales channels opened.
SMALL BUSINESS
FINE ART BRAND

Crafted brand strategy and brand copy for launch of a fine art brand.

Speaking directly to the emotions of artists around the Gold Coast and beyond, this brand copy played a crucial role in generating leads from new artist to a local fine art printing business. This copy was written as part of a broader brand strategy which has contributed to sustained growth, new premises and opportunities for this great local business.
MAGAZINE
PUBLISHING STRATEGY

Built a complete brand strategy for a prominent Australian magazine.

This magazine was struggling to stay relevant and effective with the rise in digital tech. As a consultant, I built a brand strategy for what is already a famous masthead. The strategy exposed them to new readers and better leveraged their strengths in new markets. 

Tell me what's stuck I'll help you fix it

Get in touch →

Services

Strategy. Storytelling. Growth.

As a sole trader, there are many ways we can work together. Starting with a chat so I can understand exactly what you need and where I can help is the best way to start. Get in touch for an obligation-free chat.

01
Brand Strategy & Positioning
Where do you actually sit in the market, who are you for, and what's the story only you can tell? Outputs: positioning, narrative, messaging architecture, brand manifesto.
02
Fractional CMO & Advisory
CMO level marketing leadership at the cadence you need. Strategy, team coaching, agency & vendor management, board-ready reporting. Or enjoy CMO level strategy for small business and give yourself an edge.
03
Growth & Performance Audit
A forensic look at your funnel: paid, organic, CRO, brand demand. You get a prioritised 90-day plan and a clear view of where the leaks are. You need help actioning recommendations? I can help with that too.
04
Campaign & Creative Direction
Deliver campaigns that speak directly to your target audience. No matter the budget, I can help you optimise the creative for your campaigns.
05
Workshops & Sprints
Focused, time-boxed engagements, tell me what you want to learn, what you need help with and I can shape something for you.
06
Web Design & Optimisation
New builds or surgical reworks of what's already there. Positioning brief through to conversion-led design, copy, and analytics. Sites that earn the click. Want to get noticed on Google or AI? Let's get it done.
07
Marketing Audit & Vendor Review
A clear-eyed review of every marketing dollar in play. Agencies, contractors, ad platforms, tools. What's working, what isn't, and where to redirect budget for the biggest return.

How I work.

01 · Listen. It all starts with an obligation-free conversation. 

02 · Define. A clear point of view on the problem, and the specific outcome we're chasing.

03 · Make. Build a plan, strategy or scope of works for your approval.

04 · Move. I can take on as much or as little as you need.

Common questions.

What's a fractional CMO, actually?
A CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) is the most senior marketing role within a business; responsible for leading brand, growth, customer strategy and commercial marketing performance at an executive level. A Fractional CMO gives you access to that level of experience and leadership without the cost or commitment of a full-time executive hire. You get senior marketing capability, commercial thinking and strategic direction from someone who has already led businesses through growth.
Do you work outside Australia?
I'm based on the Gold Coast but am happy to work via video conference to make something work for you.
How is this different from an agency?
Most agencies are built to sell deliverables and retainers. AVNU is built around senior judgement, strategic clarity and hands-on leadership. There’s no agency overheads, no layers of account managers, and no pressure to keep feeding a large team or ongoing retainer model. You work directly with one experienced operator who only partners with a small number of clients at a time. That means more focus, more accountability, and advice grounded in what’s actually right for the business, not what best suits an agency scope. When specialist support is needed, I can introduce you to trusted experts selectively and only where the brief genuinely calls for it.
What size businesses do you typically work with?
I have worked with micro businesses all the way through to large businesses that turn over 100m per year. There is always improvements to be made, dollars to be saved and invested into activity that works. Some projects might be a small one off to improve traffic on a website, others may take on months of research and strategy. 
Can you do just the strategy and let us execute?
Absolutely. Sometimes, getting the strategy right is the hardest part and having the clarity in direction is enough to get you going. 
How quickly can we start?
Discovery call within a week. And I will be able to share availability and timelines with you. I don't like to work on too many projects at once. So I can give my focus to each client and their goals.

Start with a conversation.

Get in touch →

About

About Ben Whitmore, founder of AVNU — marketing consultancy on the Gold Coast

Ben Whitmore, founder of AVNU
Ben Whitmore Founder · Director

Two decades of growth in multiple industries.

AVNU is founded by Ben Whitmore, a senior marketing executive whose day job is CMO of a national rental and mobility business, leading a marketing function across a $100M+ revenue group, roughly 350 staff, and a multi-million-dollar marketing P&L.

The work spans brand strategy, performance marketing, sponsorship, creative direction, market identification and the opening of new sales channels.

AVNU is the practice that grew out of that work. A way to bring the same operator-grade thinking to other businesses, founders, and marketing leaders.

Learn more about Ben ↗

What I believe.

01

Clarity beats volume.

Most marketing problems are clarity problems wearing a budget problem's clothing. Being all things to all people on every platform is tiring and spills money quickly.

02

Work that works.

A great strategy doesn't have to be complicated. It's about putting the right message in front of the right people at the right time. If you can get clarity on those things, you're moving in the right direction.

03

Consultant, not agency.

I'm not here to replace an agency, I'm here to drill down to core problems and find you real solutions. Being a sole operator my focus isn't building a base of monthly retainers, it's project completion and being here when you need me.

Send me your brief.

Get in touch →

Contact

Let's talk.

Email AVNU
directly
hello@avnu.au

What happens next.

No funnels. No sales sequences. You email Ben, Ben emails you back.

01 · Make contact

You hear back.

A direct reply from Ben. Not a chatbot, not an account manager. A short note with a couple of questions and a time to talk.

02 · Set some time

A discovery call.

We dig into the brief, the business, and what good looks like. If it's not the right fit, I'll say so, and point you somewhere that is.

03 · A plan

Scope.

Clear scope, clear price, clear outcome. No 80-slide credentials deck. You'll know exactly what you're getting and when.

Or send a brief
Prefer to write it down? Use this form and Ben will get back to you.
Based
Gold Coast
Queensland, Australia
Working with
Businesses of all sizes across Australia and beyond.
Hours
Mon–Fri · AEST · Replies within 1 business day.

Read by Ben. You'll hear back within 1 business day.

Legal

Privacy.

AVNU is a sole-trader consulting practice run by Ben Whitmore on the Gold Coast, Queensland. The short version of this policy: AVNU only collects what's needed to reply to you, and doesn't sell anything to anyone.

What AVNU collects

If you email hello@avnu.au or use the contact form on this site, AVNU collects your name, email, company (if provided), and the contents of your message. That's it.

How it's used

To reply to your enquiry. To follow up if a conversation is in progress. If an engagement begins, the same details get stored in AVNU's project management and accounting tools for the life of the engagement.

Cookies

This site uses no tracking cookies, no analytics by default, and no third-party pixels. If that changes, this page gets updated first.

Who it's shared with

Nobody. Not by sale, not by trade, not for marketing purposes. The only exception is where required by Australian law.

Your rights

You can ask at any time what AVNU holds about you, ask for it to be corrected, or ask for it to be deleted. Email hello@avnu.au and it'll be actioned within 14 days.

Complaints

If you're unhappy with how your information has been handled, you can raise it with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner: oaic.gov.au.

Last updated · January 2026

Legal

Terms.

These terms cover use of this website. The terms of any actual engagement live in a signed proposal or statement of work. They take precedence over anything on this page.

The site

The content here is informational. Nothing on this site constitutes a binding offer of services, a guarantee of outcome, or financial, legal, or strategic advice for your specific situation.

Intellectual property

Wordmarks, copy, and design on this site are the property of AVNU. Case studies referenced are anonymised and used with permission of the relevant clients. Don't reproduce without asking. The answer is usually yes.

Liability

To the extent permitted by law, AVNU is not liable for any loss arising from your use of this site or reliance on its content. Where statutory consumer guarantees apply under Australian Consumer Law, those rights are not affected.

Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of Queensland, Australia. Any dispute is to be resolved in the courts of Queensland.

Changes

These terms may be updated from time to time. The current version is always the one on this page.

Last updated · January 2026