Creative Powerhouse Becomes McCann Erickson Australia.
New York, NY September 28, 2011 – McCann Worldgroup Australia announced today the acquisition of SMART, an award-winning creative shop and one of the largest independent ad agencies in Australia and New Zealand. The combined operation will make McCann Erickson one of Australia’s largest agencies. The new entity assumes the name McCann Erickson Australia and will operate in the current McCann Worldgroup offices.
SMART is owned and led by CEO Ben Lilley, Executive Creative Director John Mescall and Managing Partner and National Planning Director Ashley Farr. SMART has offices in Melbourne, Sydney, Queensland and Auckland and has extensive experience across a range of local and global clients including adidas, ANZ Bank, Coca Cola, Dulux, Ferrero, Levi’s, News Limited, SEEK, Specsavers, Unilever, Vodafone and numerous government agencies.
Effective immediately, Ben Lilley assumes the role as Chief Executive Officer of the combined operation, replacing Chris Mort. Ashley Farr will oversee the Sydney office and lead the planning discipline.
Commenting on the leadership transition, Chris Mort said, “McCann is an organization with a unmatched global heritage and is a brand-building partner to many of the most sophisticated and famous marketers in the world. Ben and the outstanding team at SMART are an exceptional complement to our network and this partnership further propels the transformation of McCann Worldgroup across a significant market.”
Charles Cadell, Regional Managing Director McCann Worldgroup SEA and Australasia commented, “SMART has an amazing reputation and is famous for its irreverent, youthful and exuberant advertising and its vibrant media footprint. The collective genius of SMART’s exceptional local expertise combined with the scale of McCann Worldgroup provides an even greater foundation to produce groundbreaking work from the local to the global stage. SMART considers itself a
“borderless” agency that fits in seamlessly with the McCann Worldgroup mission of integration.”
CEO Ben Lilley said: “SMART has proudly been an independent agency with an outstanding track record of growth and creative excellence over the last ten years. Uniting with McCann Worldgroup was the perfect next step in our evolution. Our aspirations, vision and principles are absolutely aligned. The combined competencies of our agencies coupled with the global footprint of McCann Worldgroup creates an unrivalled strategic and creative offering across the Australian and New
Zealand markets.”
-Ends-
McCann Worldgroup
622 Third Avenue
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www.mccannworldgroup.com
Mary Perhach
EVP, Chief Communications Officer
[email protected]
About SMART:
SMART was founded by in 2000 by Lilley and two partners, all under 30, who wanted to create a “borderless”
and integrated alternative to the big agencies each of them had worked for. The agency grew quickly,
producing irreverent, brash, kinetic and surprising work. The agency is not afraid to offend or cause
controversy. A famous campaign for Coca-Cola’s Mother Energy Drink features rocket-propelled bumper cars
and multiple superfluous explosions that produced numerous complaints. An ad for Australia’s apple growers
presented petty, small-minded healthcare professionals who worry that healthy, apple-chomping patients will
deprive them of their livelihood. The agency has generated great local media exposure for its works and also its
provocative guerilla stunts.
CEO – and former creative director — Ben Lilley studied economics and psychology and has used that
background to carve a deep understanding of the maverick Australian psychographic profile. The agency has
won dozens of creative awards on a local, regional and global basis. The shop has gained accolades from the
general press. According to a 2004 B&T/Stopgap Marketing Employer of the Year Survey, SMART was named
alongside IBM Australia as among the top marketing employers in the country. SMART has achieved strong
year-over-year growth through organic and new business wins and an aggressive campaign of acquisitions,
sometimes buying out agencies against whom it had competed head-to-head.
About McCann Worldgroup
McCann Worldgroup delivers marketing solutions that transform brands and grow businesses. The company is
comprised of a collaborative roster of best-in-class agencies that emphasize creativity, innovation, and
performance, including McCann Erickson (the world’s largest advertising agency network); MRM (digital
marketing/relationship management); Momentum (event marketing/promotion); McCann Healthcare
(professional/dtc communications); WGEXP (global production); UM (media management); Weber Shandwick
(public relations) and FutureBrand (consulting/design).
