SBM Marketing Communications details Lumitas rebrand

SBM Marketing Communications has rebranded as Lumitas, marking a new identity for a business with more than 50 years of history.

The rebrand formalises a broader shift in the company's structure and services as it expands beyond its production roots into creative, communications and technology work. It has also invested in artificial intelligence-enabled workflows, facilities and a delivery model spanning Australia and Chennai.

Founded as a pre-press trade house for the printing and graphic arts sector in the 1970s, the company has steadily widened its remit. Its work now includes creative and content production, public relations, marketing technology and digital services, reflecting a broader trend in marketing services as clients look to reduce the number of suppliers they manage.

The repositioning comes as many in-house marketing teams face pressure to deliver more content across more channels while demonstrating clearer returns on spending. In response, agencies and service groups have increasingly sought to combine production, communications and software tools under a single operating model.

James Hannan, Chief Executive Officer of Lumitas, said the new name was intended to reflect changes already made within the business. "SBM has been part of the marketing industry for more than 50 years and we're incredibly proud of that history. Lumitas builds on that, creating a brand that better reflects who we are today and the future we're building for our clients," Hannan said.

Operational changes

The new brand follows several years of investment in people, infrastructure and software. Lumitas' Silverwater headquarters and production studio have undergone a major redevelopment, with the site now configured as an integrated workspace that includes expanded photography facilities and client collaboration areas.

In Melbourne, the business has moved its studio to the Morris Moor precinct in Moorabbin. It says the site is now among the larger creative production facilities in Victoria.

The group has also expanded its presence in Chennai, where it has operated for more than 15 years. Rather than serving as an outsourced support hub, the Chennai team is positioned within the same operating structure as the Australian business, with work shared across Sydney, Melbourne and Chennai.

This reflects a model that has become more common among marketing and communications providers, with offshore teams integrated into daily delivery rather than used only for back-office processing. Companies using that structure argue it gives them greater flexibility in handling production workloads and specialist tasks.

Hannan described the renaming as the visible outcome of those internal changes. "The business changed before the name did. Lumitas simply gives us a clearer identity for where we are now and where we're heading, which is all in aid of making life easier for our clients," he said.

Client growth

The rebrand also coincides with a period of client expansion. Recent additions to the company's roster include Halter, Solum, Transgrid, Coleman and iseekplant.

Those wins sit alongside an existing client list that includes ALDI, Dell Technologies, NSW Department of Education, Harvey Norman, rebel and Domayne. The mix suggests the company works across consumer, technology, infrastructure and public sector accounts, where demand for high volumes of content and coordinated communications has grown.

For agency groups and marketing services firms, rebrands are often linked to mergers or ownership changes. In this case, Lumitas is presenting the move as the result of gradual business evolution rather than a transaction, with the new name intended to better match the range of services it now offers.

Technology focus

Software is central to that repositioning. Lumitas said it is developing a proprietary marketing technology platform designed to bring together content, digital assets, product information and campaigns in one system.

The platform is planned to include digital asset management, product information management, digital catalogue management, digital campaign management, workflow integration, version control, governance and eCommerce connectivity. Artificial intelligence tools are being embedded across those functions to automate repetitive tasks and improve asset discovery.

The use of AI in marketing operations has become a major focus for agencies, consultancies and software vendors as clients seek to manage growing content libraries and increasingly complex campaign workflows. While businesses have moved quickly to test automation in areas such as copy generation, tagging and production, many have stressed that the technology is intended to support staff rather than replace them.

Lumitas made the same point in outlining its technology strategy, saying the objective is to help teams work faster and manage content more effectively. Its broader aim is to offer clients a more unified way to handle creative development, communications, production and technology through one connected team.

The business now operates across Sydney, Melbourne and Chennai as a single delivery structure, with recent client additions including Halter, Solum, Transgrid, Coleman and iseekplant.