What is Red Ones Marketing?
I’m Karen Montagu, the name and person behind Red Ones Marketing.
With more than 20 years of experience in marketing and communications, I’ll admit something: talking about “Brand Me” is surprisingly difficult. I find it easy to define and shape brands for clients, but far trickier to pin down what defines my own.

Red Ones Marketing reflects a personal, hands-on approach to strategy, storytelling, and creative execution. Every project is tailored. Every brief is different. 

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What experience do I bring?

I’ve been fortunate to work with incredible brands, campaigns, and organisations across Australia and the Middle East, from grassroots political movements to universities, government, wellness, education, and utilities.
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I bring a fresh perspective to every project. You don’t need to be deep inside an industry to market it, you just need to wear the audience’s hat, not the expert’s. That’s how you connect, ask the right questions, and shape messages that actually land.

My approach is strategic, flexible, and grounded in decades of experience across:

• Internal communications – Building staff engagement, sharing success stories, and aligning teams with purpose
• Digital communications – Creating and managing content for websites, email campaigns, and social platforms
• Crisis communications – Responding quickly with clear, calm, reputation-protecting messaging
• Public relations – Managing media, building narratives, and creating newsworthy opportunities
• Print and publication – Overseeing design, production, and delivery of high-quality marketing materials
• Advertising – Developing and delivering multi-channel campaigns, online and offline
• Government and policy – Communicating in regulated environments with strategic messaging and compliance focus
• Community engagement – Facilitating conversations, consultations, and stakeholder collaboration
• Fundraising and campaigns – Running donor drives, building supporter journeys, and growing grassroots movements

Across all projects, I ask my clients the right questions to get to the heart of the brief:

• What are you trying to say?
• Who are you trying to reach or convince?
• Do your goals and messages align?
• Are your timelines and budgets realistic?

​Industries I’ve worked across include:
Government, Education, Health & Wellness, Utilities, Not-for-Profit, Political Campaigns, Arts & Culture, Construction, Tourism, Transport, Media & Publishing, and Community Advocacy.

Experience Snapshot:
Sunshine Coast, Australia
Francine for Fairfax – political campaign
Chancellor State College
Foundation Fitness and Wellbeing
Unitywater
Maleny Additions
Destiny Rescue

Middle East
Yalla Abu Dhabi – UAE
Early World Nursery – UAE
The Wellness Centre – Oman
Sultan Qaboos University – Oman

Melbourne, Australia
University of Melbourne
Deakin University
Monash University
City of Boroondara

Brisbane, Australia
Brisbane International Film Festival
Goodwill Games Brisbane
Multimedia Art Asia Pacific (MAAP)
Arts Queensland
Queensland Rail
Queensland Transport
QUT

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