Engine merges Fantastic Thinking with Partners Andrews Aldridge
Engine Group is merging Partners Andrews Aldridge (PAA) with its digital sister agency Fantastic Thinking in a move which will see the latter's brand dropped.
Alastair Cole and Martin Bui
The merger will result in no redundancies, with all 25 staff to cross over to PAA, as the group looks to boost its customer engagement and experience capabilities.
Fantastic Thinking’s standalone clients, which News UK and Corinthia Hotels will transfer to PAA.
Meanwhile PAA hyas also appointed OgilvyOne's head UX architect Martin Bui as its new head of UX and Essence's partner and head of creative services practice, EMEA, Alastair Cole as its new chief innovation officer.
In his role as chief innovation officer, Cole will be tasked with integrating innovation into the agency’s framework through events such as Hackdays and innovation workshops for clients.
Chief executive of PAA Martin Nieri said: “2015 is going to be a huge year for Partners and most importantly our clients,” adding that the agency has an “immensely powerful proposition” for marketers looking to enhance customer engagement.
The merger will create an expanded UX department within the agency, with Martin Bui leading the new department and reporting to chief strategy officer Andrew Smith.