Isobar has a new-look leadership team in Australia following a global rebrand of the network by parent company Aegis Group.
The overhaul has resulted in more than 60 agencies across 30 countries brought under the Isobar umbrella.
Isobar has hired its first ever creative director in Australia in the wake of the change, with Nick Renford taking up the role. Trevor Crossman has also joined, becoming the digital agency’s first strategy director.
Renford and Crossman, who both previously worked at DDB, will report to Glynn Honey, managing director of Isobar Australia.
Honey said that the overhaul will position Isobar as a leading “challenger” network.
“We did it to give Isobar definition as a brand and become truly customer-led,” he told B&T Today. “I know that sounds clichéd, but the key is to shift to a digital-centric strategy.
“People’s relationships with brands have shifted and it has opened the door to digitally-led brand strategies. This means having a genuinely integrated approach, as well as being able to draw upon the analytical tools from the Aegis network.
“Aegis has backed Isobar with its wallet. It sees Isobar as its arrowhead for digital strategy and has backed us with investment. A global rebrand isn’t cheap, so it’s a pat on the back for Aegis at a time when others are pulling away.”
Renford added: “Media and creative agencies aren’t necessarily enemies when it comes to digital. (But) when a media agency isn’t built around a 30-second TVC, you can have genuine integration.
“Isobar realises that campaigns alone don’t drive connections in a world that doesn’t sleep. When a campaign finishes, there needs to be a brand guardian for 365 days a year. There’s a perception that a lot of agencies create an explosion and then run.
“It’s refreshing that this agency is built around digital strategy. Two years ago, you’d give away strategy to clients for nothing. Clients are more educated now and a nice site and a spinning logo isn’t good enough any more. The question from them is always ‘Why?’ and we have to work hard to push the needle.”