By Chrissie Cluney, Contributing Editor
Edge, a content agency, has acquired brand and retail agency Creative Oasis as part of an expansion of its capabilities. The content agency, which is almost fifteen years old, puts content, social and digital at the heart of its approach. This move shifts the agency into more of a full-service proposition with a focus on retail.
The two shops have co-located in Sydney’s Surry Hills for the past two years and collaborated on a number of projects. This acquisition will move changes to the ownership structure and brings them both together formally.
“We believe that in a rapidly changing world, the biggest challenge brands face is to stay relevant, constantly,” said Richard Parker, strategy partner, Edge.
Former Creative Oasis MD David Stretch will become group-managing director. Steve Kulmar will be chairman of the combined agency, which will continue under the Edge name. Creative Oasis’s eight person staff will join the Edge team, which now has around 60 full-time staff in Sydney. Creative Oasis also has a Melbourne office with around 10 people, making it one of the largest independent shops in Australia.
“If we want to help brands meet this challenge, we have to fuse traditional creative craft with strong data, tech, media and content nous to own the overarching brand story for clients, and drive their communication strategy,” said Parker.
Edge’s major clients include AAMI, Suncorp, Australia Post, Lendlease, and Petbarn. Creative Oasis has clients, which include Mitre 10 and Dymocks.
“It’s about delivering big meaningful brand communications alongside highly personalised micro-moments. The approach allows us to relentlessly drive brand relevance – and this merger allows both businesses to work towards this common vision,” said Parker.