Publicis Worldwide Acquires Content Agency August

Publicis Worldwide today announced the acquisition of award-winning creative content agency August, which joins Publicis UK in the Baker Street office hub later this month.

Founded in 2005, August is made up of a team of 65 experts with a skill-set to produce engaging content that builds brands, changes perceptions and nurtures relationships. It is this ethos, experience and insight that have produced a raft of award-winning work for its clients. 

August’s clients include GAP, IKEA, Ocado, Hiscox, Kinleigh Folkard & Hayward, Ligne Roset, Renault, Fitness First, Whole Foods Market, Christie’s International Real Estate, Exodus, Golfbreaks.com and Flight Centre.

The addition of August will expand and enhance Publicis UK's existing creative content offering, enabling Publicis UK to further deepen its client relationships, offering a rapid turn around of content marketing across various platforms, with a strong specialism in digital. Publicis Blueprint, a key content division within its group, will now become August.

Arthur Sadoun, Global CEO of Publicis Worldwide, commented: “Content marketing is key to us helping our clients transform their brands. August is digitally advanced beyond most of the consumer publishing agencies: this acquisition will bring the expertise and ability to develop content quickly across multiple platforms to give our clients a strong competitive lead.”

August will join the breadth of services and agencies residing in 82 Baker Street, which includes Publicis London (creative), POKE (digital), Vivid (shopper marketing), and Publicis Chemistry (CRM and one to one communications), all leaders in their specialisms. This is part of Publicis UK’s commitment to produce highly effective creative and improved multi-channel capabilities for its clients. The move comes as part of the increased importance of content marketing for clients: global content marketing revenue has continued to surge in the first half of 2015, with content marketing set to become a US$313 billion industry in 2019, (according to PQ Media’s ‘Global Content Marketing Forecast 2015)

The existing leadership team and original founding partners of August will remain as Mark Lonergan, Steven Hunter, Sarah Bravo and Jules Walker-Rogers, who will be responsible for integrating existing business and growing content revenue. Lonergan and Hunter will take the roles of Joint CEO with Bravo and Walker-Rogers assuming the roles of ECD.

Mark Lonergan, CEO of August, said: “At August we specialise in building relationships between customers and brands through multi-channel content. Publicis Worldwide believes in the power of that content. This acquisition will give August a wonderful opportunity to collaborate with a range of expertise that will allow us to even better serve our existing clients needs. It will also be exciting to have the chance to work with some of the group’s existing clients. We are delighted to be part of the future of Publicis UK.”