Brand strategy firms come together to form Aussie powerhouse

By Nicola Riches | 29 January 2015
 

Global entertainment marketing outfit Frukt, which started in London more than 15 years ago, is to establish an Australian operation via a partnership with longstanding local entertainment, media and events agency Authentic Entertainment.

It is believed that the partnership with Authentic will allow both companies to draw on combined experience of many years to develop new approaches and concepts for the Australian market, working across brands, agencies, music, entertainment and media.

The partnership’s first, large-scale brand partnership will be announced in coming months.

Frukt creates strategic partnerships between businesses and entertainment brands, and is particularly renowned for working in the music space. Three years ago it was acquired by Octagon Worldwide, part of the Interpublic network.

The new company, said Authentic Entertainment CEO John Wardley, “presents a number of opportunities: taking something a global brand has done with Frukt and rolling it locally, or potentially taking local brands here and giving them an international stage.”

“It depends on the client and the circumstance. There won’t be a one-size fits all solution.” he added.

Many of the companies already working in this space in Australia come from an event management background, so witnessing activations around festivals and sponsorship opportunities is not unusual.

However, both Frukt and Authentic believe that their approach, and their current capabilities, will give them the opportunity to offer a more rounded, holistic and creative solution, offering all parties the chance to undertake something unique.

“It is a new model to the market in some respects. There are people working in across aspects of what we do, who are very well respected, but we believe there is untapped opportunity in Australia,” Octagon general manager and Frukt representative Wylie Fowler told AdNews.

The partnership came about a few different ways. Wardley explained: “Authentic has had a relationship with Octagon for some time and both myself and Wylie have worked on the client side too as marketers, namely for Coca-Cola, but also for other brands and companies.”

The confluence of brands and music is creating substantial noise in Australia, particularly with the scramble for brand dollars from the various technology firms which operate music streaming platforms.

Frukt and Authentic admit that the market is busy, but don’t see that as a barrier to entry, particularly when both firms are so firmly entrenched in their respective markets.

Fowler explained how both companies’ experience works to the advantage: “Having spent time on both the client-side and in the music industry, in my opinion it’s clear that there aren’t many people who truly understand how to do this. Tapping into this area has been hit and miss in the past.”

“A lot of marketers are scared off by the complexity around the music industry and how you can use content – essentially who has the rights to all of the different types of content – but because we have such detailed experience in this field, both Frukt and Authentic, we can provide our clients with a transparent and ultimately satisfying solution from the very start,” Fowler concluded.

The new Sydney office becomes part of a network across London, New York, Los Angeles, Milan and Rio, and both parties will work closely with the 100 global staff.

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