Stagwell – a challenger network built to transform marketing – announced it has acquired Sidekick (a collective of specialist agencies focused on experiential, digital storytelling, and branded content) and WHAT’S NEXT PARTNERS (a French digital brand and marketing consultancy specializing in data-powered strategies, integrated communications, and creative content).
Sidekick Acquisition
Sidekick will join Allison, a global marketing and communications consultancy within Stagwell. Sidekick is a collective of specialist agencies focused on experiential, digital storytelling, and branded content.
The addition of Sidekick will further expand Allison’s footprint in Europe and also introduce capabilities in the market that are critical for a new era of integrated brand storytelling. And it adds tremendous synergies to Allison’s existing core competencies of strategic communications, influencer marketing, digital, performance marketing and data analytics.
The Sidekick Group launched in 2021 when experiential agency Kreate and content agency Many Makers came together to form a strategic arm of the business, capitalising its collective expertise on behalf of clients. And Kreate delivers ‘real-world’ activations for clients, specialising in brand experience and live events. Many Makers is a video and brand content agency that uses digital storytelling including social media, video production, gamification and AR/VR content on behalf of the wider group.
Sidekick’s co-founders Duncan McCaslin and Ollie Burgoyne will remain as Managing Directors of their respective teams and both will join Allison’s European management team. And directors William Howe and Stephen Bradley will also move across in their current roles. No other staffing changes are planned.
This deal comes amid a significant European acceleration at Stagwell, which has in recent months appointed James Townsend as CEO, EMEA, and launched a regional hub at the Blue Fin Building in London to connect its 15+ agencies and over 1900 employees within the region.
Sidekick is Stagwell’s second acquisition of the year following the purchase of Team Epiphany, a culturalist creative agency connecting brands to multicultural consumers, in January 2024.
WHAT’S NEXT PARTNERS (WNP) Acquisition
WNP will become the first co-branded member of the Anomaly Alliance in a partnership model designed to expand Anomaly’s global footprint beyond its existing offices in New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, London, Berlin, and Shanghai. And WNP is one of the leading digital creative firms in Europe, exemplified in its work for clients such as Cora, Danone, Ecoutier Voir, Meetic Europe, and Savencia.
WNP is one of the leading digital creative firms in Europe – exemplified in its work for clients such as Cora, Danone, Ecoutier Voir, Meetic Europe, and Savencia. And WNP will deepen Anomaly’s presence in Europe and add capabilities in scaled digital content and AI-enabled CRM and data, as well as the leadership in-market to compete for and service larger European accounts.
Guy Chauvel, Founder and CEO of WNP, brings an exceptional track record of creative leadership to the partnership, with previous tenures as EVP of J. W. T., the 3rd largest global agency, and CEO of Europe at Havas. And he has directly advised on marketing and/or communication strategies for a variety of blue-chip companies including P&G, L’Oréal, Unilever, Rolex, Disney, and more. He will drive the creation of new client solutions for WNP and the Anomaly Alliance with Carl Johnson, leveraging the breadth and depth of the Stagwell portfolio.
Currently, Anomaly has offices in New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, London, Berlin and Shanghai and further acquisitions for the Anomaly Alliance will follow ranging from Latin America to Asia Pacific. And WNP will mark Stagwell’s third acquisition announced in 2024 following the purchase of Team Epiphany, a culturalist creative agency connecting brands to multicultural consumers, in January 2024; and Sidekick, a creative collective in the U.K., in February 2024.
Lazare Consulting LLC served as the exclusive strategic M&A advisor to WNP.
Quotes About Sidekick Deal:
“Sidekick is at the forefront of storytelling and will be an essential part of the challenger marketing network we are building in Europe. As we embark on our next chapter in Europe, I’m excited to welcome Duncan and Ollie to our network and see Allison continue to transform its content innovation capabilities.”
– Mark Penn, Chairman and CEO, Stagwell
“After a successful period of collaboration with the Sidekick team, we are delighted to have them officially join the Allison family. The organisation that the Sidekick founders have built together with their colleagues delivers an impressive suite of services that complements those already offered by Allison and leads with a strong and supportive culture that aligns with our own. As we continue to expand our operations throughout Europe, Sidekick will form an integral part of this growth story.”
– Scott Allison, Global Chairman of Allison
“The acquisition represents a significant leap forward in the growth of Sidekick and our people. Having seen our collective teams work successfully together over the last year or so, we knew that joining with Allison and Stagwell was the logical next step. We see this as the perfect time to combine forces, further enhancing our collective capabilities and ensuring that we continue to deliver outstanding results for our clients.”
– Duncan McCaslin, MD of Sidekick and Kreate
“This is an extremely exciting next step for Sidekick. Having worked alongside the team at Allison for the last two years, we quickly realised that we share the same vision and values. I can’t wait for our teams to work as one and to be a part of the exciting growth plans that Scott and team have in place.”
– Ollie Burgoyne, MD of Sidekick and Many Makers
Quotes About WNP Deal:
“Anomaly continues to surge around the world because clients resonate with our relentless pursuit of effectiveness, the leveraging of the widest possible meaning of ‘creativity’ across all marketing tools, and our entrepreneurial ambition. That equation is not easily replicable and, as we expand across continents, it’s essential our clients know our partners exemplify what it means to be an anomaly. In What’s Next Partners, we have found kindred spirits in Europe, and I could not be more excited to welcome them to our team.”
– Carl Johnson, Anomaly Founding Partner and Executive Chairman
“Advertisers we are talking to or working with are pushing us to go international. We have always kept a close eye on Anomaly over the past 15 years as a source of inspiration and are fascinated by their model and culture. When the decision came to choose our new partner, Anomaly was the obvious choice. I am thrilled they agreed. We were also very impressed when meeting a committed, open-minded, and disruptive Stagwell executive team, and are excited to grow further as part of the network.”
– Guy Chauvel
“2023’s exceptional new business pipeline made it clear Stagwell’s proposition resonates with clients. We’re all-in on expanding our unique tech-forward approach to transforming marketing in France and Europe more broadly. In 2024, we’re excited to welcome tested leaders like WNP and Guy and to build a best-in-class European team to support our clients and our talent.”
– Mark Penn, Chairman and CEO, Stagwell
