Omnicom has registered trade marks for a new agency name, perhaps providing a clue about the brand identity of the newly merged Hearts & Science and Mediahub.
Although the ‘Mediahub’ brand and agency will be retained in Australia, in other markets Mediahub will merge with stablemate Hearts & Science, taking on a new brand identity. That brand identity will be adopted by Hearts & Science in Australia.
Omnicom has not yet publicly revealed details of the new brand, but has registered a trade mark, ‘Hearts United’, in markets including Australia and the UK, according to filings in the government’s IP Australia database and the UK’s Intellectual Property Office.
The new trademarks were lodged around the same time news of the merger broke.
An Omnicom spokesperson told B&T: “Omnicom regularly evaluates and protects a variety of trademarks and brand names as part of its ordinary business activities. We do not comment on speculation regarding potential business plans, rebranding initiatives, or trademark filings. No final decisions have been announced.”
B&T understands the new brand identity and logo the new agency will be unveiled this month.
When it was revealed Hearts & Science would merge with Mediahub, Omnicom told B&T that the businesses would continue to operate separately in this market due to “our unique Australian operating model, where both agencies operate independently”.
“This evolution reflects the strength of our global network, while preserving the local model that continues to serve our clients successfully in Australia,” a spokesperson said.
Hearts & Science is led by Liz Wigmore and has around 140 staff in Australia, while Mediahub is led by Sue Squillace and has around 34 staff at offices in Sydney, Perth and New Zealand.
