Business on the Move: Generali, HSBC, Merlin, and more
Welcome to The Drum's Business on the Move section, where we collate agency account wins, reviews, agency launches, rebrands and acquisitions
Cube3 has been asked by Merlin to raise the profile of attractions such as the Blackpool Tower Ballroom
Agency wins
Generali Group, Italy's largest insurance firm, has appointed Grey to lead its branding efforts in Asia Pacific.
The account will be managed out of Grey's regional headquarters in Singapore and will currently cover Indonesia and Vietnam, with expansion into China, Hong Kong, India, Thailand and Malaysia earmarked for the future.
Merlin Entertainments has appointed Cube3 to help raise the profile of Merlin's attractions in the seaside town. The agency has been tasked with delivering a new digital and creative strategy for the Blackpool Tower generating online bookings for the town as a destination resort.
HSBC has tasked CSM Live and Provision Events with delivering the HSBC Mass Engagement campaign at the HSBC Try Rugby Zone, to be held at this year's Hong Kong Sevens tournament. The win marks the first Hong Kong Sevens brief for the partnership between Provision and CSM.
RadioCentre has appointed The&Partnership to build a creative campaign to attract media buyers and promote the medium of commercial radio, and its associated brand-building opportunities.
British Triathlon – the national governing body for triathlon, aquathlon and duathlon in the UK – has announced a new partnership with Shift Active Media.
The marketing communications agency will advise British Triathlon on their creative services, copywriting and advertising strategy.
Public relations and marketing agency Focus Media has been made strategic communications and public relations agency of record for New York and Pennsylvania destination resorts Camelback Resort and The Kartrite Hotel & Indoor Waterpark.
Neilsen has announced a partnership with IPG Mediabrands that will enable the agency network to better evaluate communications plans against the measurement and analytics giant’s TV audience and consumer insights, allowing it to make smarter media buys.
Boutique marketing agency Right Hook Communications has announced a partnership with blockchain advisory collective CryptoCentral.net. The agency will tap into the knowledge of collective's cryptocurrency and blockchain experts to enhance its capabilities in the crypto sector.
Launches
Bray Leino Group has announced the launch of Bray Leino CX. Based in Bristol, the new agency will specialise in identifying and addressing clients’ customer experience challenges.
UK-based out-of-home agency Talon has expanded into the US, settling on a perch in New York in a partnership with Holt Media Companies. Managing director Irina Zeltzer is set to lead the New York office.
Acquisitions
Time Inc UK, the consumer magazine publisher, has been acquired by Epiris Fund II for an undisclosed fee from Meredith Corporation. Time's portfolio of over 50 magazine and news brands boast an audience of 17 million adults and 13 million online and digital users across the UK.
Ocelot Partners has announced the acquisition of out-of-home display advertisers Ocean Outdoor. The move is planned as the first step in a consolidation programme at Ocelot.
The long-trailed takeover of newspaper publishers Northern & Shell by Daily Mirror-owners Trinity Mirror has been completed. The departures of several senior members of staff at the the Express were announced in the wake of the deal.
WPP has announced the merger of Burson-Marsteller and Cohn & Wolfe, in a move that will create new public relations firm Burson Cohn & Wolfe. The merger follows WPP's combination of five agencies into Superunion.