Clemenger Group launches Clemenger UnLtd in New Zealand to provide clients with unlimited capabilities in marketing communications
(Pictured L-R: Sandra Daniel, Brett Hoskin, Daniel Shaw, Brigid Alkema, Tim Freeman and Clint Bratton)
Clemenger Group has launched Clemenger UnLtd – connecting the capabilities of Clemenger BBDO Wellington, BrandWorld, Perceptive, Proximity and the local operations of LEVO in New Zealand.
In an era of changing customer expectations, explosions of data and technology and when creativity is more important than ever to deliver business growth, Clemenger UnLtd will offer market-leading capabilities spanning consumer insights and data, behaviour change and brand creative, customer experience, technology enablement, and partnership marketing and channels.
The new offering will be part consultancy, part agency, part design studio and all creativity. It will bring together Clemenger Group’s renowned thinking and execution, to provide clients with unlimited capabilities in marketing communications.
Says Les Timar, CEO, Clemenger Group: “Clemenger UnLtd is built upon connected thinking and an unlimited understanding of people – their needs and behaviours. Its purpose is to unlock the potential that sits within our clients, their customers or audiences, uncovering insights that lead to effective outcomes and create growth.
“Each practice area within this unified team model will maintain its own speciality, while giving our people the opportunity to operate in a more diverse playground. This means enhanced collaboration, innovation and learning. Which means greater IQ, CQ and EQ for our clients.
Clemenger UnLtd’s executive team will comprise established leaders, Brett Hoskin (behaviour change and brand), Daniel Shaw (research and insights), Clint Bratton (customer experience and performance), Tim Freeman (technology and transformation) and Sandra Daniel (partnership marketing and channels).
Brigid Alkema will become chief creative officer of Clemenger UnLtd and the new agency will be chaired by Les Timar.
Experienced marketing leader Sandra Daniel joins Clemenger UnLtd from Oceania Healthcare, where she was general manager, marketing and communications. Daniel has led transformational marketing campaigns that span brand to retail, for more than 20 years.
Clemenger UnLtd will be based across both Auckland and Wellington, working alongside Clemenger Group companies ColensoBBDO, Raydar and GRC Partners + Porter Novelli in New Zealand and across the Group’s broader Trans-Tasman network.
To learn more about Clemenger UnLtd, visit www.clemenger.unltd.nz.
15 Comments
Clemenger agencies (excluding Colenso – props to Ange and Si) have seemed to have been in structural decline for a while now and most of the agencies that make-up Unltd are shadows of their former selves and must be a P&L nightmare. A cynic would say that is out necessity, and trying to spin that story into some form of positive, rather than meeting the market and a customer-led proposition.
I’d expect to see more consolidation, especially across the Welly market, as Govt spending (lack-of) starts to bite and holding companies are forced to look for material cost savings to keep things afloat.
Nicely summed up.
I pondered aloud.
Really? This smells like a bunch of struggling businesses trying to delay the inevitable. Good luck to them and all that, but I’m not that this is the future.
… all a bit sad really.
100% agree, the industry knows it – hope Clients don’t get too excited by it
they’ll do just fine I suspect unlike sadly the several famous names who seem to have missed out on making it onto the new All of Governments creative services procurement panel…..
Change. It’s inevitable.
With the exciting Omnicom merger arriving soon (for those in the Grief Wheel stuck at ‘denial’, please move to ‘acceptance’ ASAP), this new entity fills me with intrigue.
Don’t get me wrong, they’re incredible people who’ve achieved great things. All of them are Blue Chip.
Indeed, many at last night’s Marketing Awards were also curious, with a majority echoing my initial thought that this is a top-heavy organisation staffed with individuals who’ve been off the tools for far too long.
With the inevitable demise of the government advertising slush-fund, I wonder if this is a crab-walk strategy that’ll lead to the departure lounge for many involved.
Ahhhhh yes, the Departure Lounge.
A famous Mayoral Drive institution.
See you at Prego.
Personally, I think many are underestimating the direction Clemenger is heading. Rather than being in structural decline, they’ve recognized a gap in the market and are capitalizing on it by offering a comprehensive, one-stop solution for clients. All of Clemenger’s specialties —creative, digital, media, and data—are coming together seamlessly, forming a powerhouse that few agencies can match. By integrating these capabilities under one roof, they’re creating a synergy that amplifies their effectiveness. Clients aren’t just getting piecemeal services; they’re getting a cohesive strategy that leverages the full spectrum of talent and expertise. In today’s market, that kind of firepower is unstoppable and exactly what brands need to stay competitive. Instead of seeing this as a decline, it’s actually a smart evolution into an all-encompassing force within the industry.
I agree, on paper it sounds great. But Clemenger Group doesn’t exactly have a great track record of delivering on their potential. Hopefully this time they’ve actually done the internal work required, and they can get out of their own way. Otherwise unfortunately I think we’ll be seeing more press releases with changes soon….
@Brave Heart
NZ is too small for that level of New York style of consultancy.
Maybe it’s great for a bloated Wellington govt account, but those days are over, thankfully.
A good freelance creative and a strategist working together can do everything this group does for a fraction of the price and in a quarter of the time.
And, as Ghost said, the MERGER will render all of this redundant, and many have been off the tools for a very long time (or have a reputation that precedes them). So all a client is paying for is overhead. And those are expensive salaries to pay for.
I completely disagree and your comment drips of advertising creative led bias, do you understand the entirety of what NZ Marketers are actually struggling with? Data, Digital analytics and tracking, Marketing Automation, Ad fraud and the over hype of programattic, disconnected insights capabilities and IT teams that don’t want to understand the future of MarTech. Before we even get into the brand vs performance spend and the future of SEO.
This is the right model for NZ businesses, as wrangling several partners to develop step change in marketing strategy and execution capabilities is a nightmare even with a “Village” approach. Most of the large agency senior creatives and copywriters know nothing about my world (*Data driven marketing, MarTech design and implementation, Loyalty Prog design, CX insights programs), but I have developed step changing programs and roadmaps for businesses that generated hundreds of thousands for an agency before we even developed an ad. Then we brought in the creatives at the right time.
Why is this the right approach for NZ? Because we are so small and most of our marketing teams are too, marketers want the long-term strategy guidance across where they should develop capabilities, improve digital transformation and experiences, redistribute media spend and deliver amazing creative that makes it resonate. I’d rather see this from Clems than Deloitte, as I know Clems can execute the tactical, can they wrangle the various strategy disciplines to make this work? I hope so.
Did no one do a quick Google search of the name? Why would you spell it exactly the same way as another agency? https://stoppress.co.nz/movings-shakings/new-unltd-ceo-revealed/
👋 Clemenger PR crisis team
Did Brave Heart seriously use just synergy and describe this new rabble as an all encompassing force. Oh my giddy aunt.