The Australian digital agency, Pusher, has announced a partnership with Publicis Worldwide, with the agency's 17 Sydney staff and eight Brisbane staff set to move into Publicis offices, and two staff members opening an office in Melbourne off the back of a client win that has yet to be divulged. The Pusher employees will be working across Publicis clients whilst retaining the Pusher name. Pusher founder Michael Crebar explains that the move will see the agency working closely with the struggling Publicis Mojo agency, and says they will not be simply sharing a workspace with them, but will be joining forces with them.
Kim Hopwood (left), Michael Crebar (centre) and Andrew Baxter (right)
Both Publicis and Pusher are noticeably cagey about calling the move an “Acquisition,” with Pusher officially working for Publicis Worldwide Australia under a commercial arrangement, which will allow the agency to keep its name. The arrangement follows a similar one with CRM business Cubed and mobile specialists Front Foot as the business diversifies its offering.
Pusher's 17 Sydney staff and eight Brisbane staff set to move into Publicis offices, and two staff members opening an office in Melbourne
The first question at the tip of everyone's tongues will undoubtedly be; “How will the Publicis Groupe's recent $4.2 billion purchase of the Sapient Group (which includes the Sapient Nitro digital agency) affect local digital agencies such as Pusher?” Pusher clients might also be wondering if the move will impact the working practices of the agency, but Crebar has assured naysayers that Pusher is not going to change the way it operates or outsource any of its clients to other Publicis agencies. “We are who we are,” he says, underlining that people should see the Publicis partnership “As a strategic move to bolster the Pusher team and the Publicis team.” He also adds that none of the Pusher clients will change, explaining that “They’ve all been brought across and are really excited” by the Publicis news These clients include brands such as Footlocker, Mantra Hotels, GSK, The Federal Government, Surfstitch, Destination NSW and Think Education.
The Pusher Brisbane Team
As far as how the move will affect future pitches, Crebar has said Pusher will continue to pitch under its own name for all digital accounts, whilst Publicis will take care of the rest. He said; ““If we are pitching on integrated accounts Pusher will pitch on digital and Publicis will take the traditional role of what they do well.” The senior management won't be changing either, with founders Crebar and Kim Hopwood retaining their management roles and reporting to Publicis CEO Andrew Baxter.
Crebar has assured naysayers that Pusher is not going to change the way it operates or outsource any of its clients to other Publicis agencies
In a statement, Baxter said that “Pusher’s capabilities and track record are first class by any standards, delivering strong results with the digital and social campaigns they’ve created for their clients.” He believes that their arrival in the group perfect compliments their “Existing digital capabilities and means that the Publicis Sydney team is now close to 50 per cent digital, which is exactly the shape you want an agency to be heading into 2015.”
