Dentsu Aegis Network has announced the merger of its technology specialist, Vivid Group, with digital creative agency Isobar, in a move that will see Vivid’s Perth, Melbourne and Sydney teams join Isobar to create one of the biggest digital creative agencies across Australia and New Zealand.

The merger will establish the Isobar brand in Perth and grow the Isobar Group to a team of over 300 across Australia and New Zealand, completing a true trans-Tasman offer. The Isobar Australia & NZ Group also includes the recently acquired Soap – Linked by Isobar and SMG.

This follows the recent promotion of Konrad Spilva to CEO Isobar Group Australia & NZ, whilst Ben Shapiro, Vivid’s managing director, will take the role of commercial director of the Isobar Group while also having a leadership role across the newly established, Perth-based Isobar office.

Clients will benefit from increased scale and capabilities, with the merger adding strategy, conceptual creative and user experience to Vivid’s current offer, whilst bolstering Isobar’s credentials in ecommerce, CRM and marketing automation services along with tracking and measurement.

Luke Littlefield, CEO of Dentsu Aegis Network ANZ said: “The coming together of Isobar and Vivid has been quite an organic process, as we identified natural synergies between the two agencies and saw opportunities to really augment their credentials to the benefit of clients, particularly focused around the area of Brand Commerce.  With this increased scale and expertise, we are now in a position to be truly dominant in this space, which is a significant focus for both the Dentsu Aegis Network and Isobar locally and globally.

“Furthermore, we have great leadership talent in place to ensure this is driven across the Group. Ben will be critical to the integration of Vivid into Isobar and ensuring that the full potential of the combination of these two businesses is realised. While Konrad who is now CEO Isobar Group Australia & NZ, has been pivotal in every evolution of the Isobar brand in Australia and New Zealand, and has the experience to ensure that the Isobar Group continues to thrive in this market.”