PR firm Splendid forms agency collective with Kingdom acquisition
London comms and PR agency Splendid Communications has announced the acquisition of a majority stake in Kingdom Collective and the formation of a new ‘agency collective,’ Splendid Collective.
Splendid has acquired a majority stake in Kingdom Collective
Kingdom is set to become a founding member of the collective, which Splendid describes as a “network of like-minded agencies with a shared vision” in a statement.
Together, the agencies’ client roster includes Dr Martens, DJ, Red Bull and Hennessy. Splendid said that Kingdom’s expertise in the cultural sphere – it owns a festival brand, Beat Hotel, and has produced events in Marrakech and Ibiza – will complement its own strategic expertise.
Splendid Communications’ chief executive officer Alec Samways said: “The vision behind Splendid Collective is to invest in well-run, ambitious and values-led independent agencies. We want to supply the management and funds necessary for them to grow, while addressing the many issues and challenges our industry and communities face.
“Our goal is to achieve creative freedom to produce work that we believe will have a positive impact on the world. Damon Kelly has joined to support me in finding partners who share our values and ambitions. We’re delighted to have Kingdom Collective join us for this journey and hope there will be others who follow.”
Samways will join the Kingdom board of directors. Nick Griffiths, founder of Kingdom, said: “The partnership is extremely exciting for us and we’re looking forward to gaining the added commercial clout and future focus that being a part of the Splendid Collective will bring. This will allow us to accelerate our own growth and continue to do the work that we love.”
The move is the latest acqusition from the UK indie agency scene; earlier this year, IMA and Home merged to form IMA Home and Audience Collective acquired the Lucre Group.