Full-service communications agency Think HQ has acquired multicultural communications and community engagement consultancy CultureVerse.
CultureVerse (team shown in featured image) will operate as the agency’s specialty arm for diverse communications.
Think HQ founder and managing director Jen Sharpe said the acquisition was an important step forward for Think HQ.
Sharpe commented: “This is the beginning of a whole new chapter for us. Australian audiences are changing, so if we want to connect with them, we need to change too.
“Given the kinds of social and behaviour change campaigns we work on, having truly inclusive and representative campaigns isn’t a nice to have, it’s a necessity.”
The announcement comes in the same week Ad Standards launched its campaign calling for agencies to be more inclusive.
CultureVerse principal director Loc Trinh said the joining of Think HQ and CultureVerse is evolutionary for both agencies.
Trinh said: “This means we’re able to use all the skills at Think HQ – from their writers to their designers to their videographers.
“And they’re able to use our skills too, and access our network of community leaders from all over the country.”
CultureVerse will work on a range of Think HQ projects, and vice versa.
Think HQ’s current client list includes the Department of Social Services and the Australian Financial Complaints Authority, while CultureVerse has worked alongside the Department of Home Affairs and the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Sharpe said Think HQ, and now CultureVerse, is going from strength to strength.
She continued: “We’re such a powerful team, because there is such a strong values alignment. We all bring a commitment to purpose, underpinned by strong character and commitment.
“With our expansion into advertising this year, and now with this acquisition, I’m excited to see what happens for the rest of 2019.”
The growing Think HQ group now includes Think HQ, CultureVerse and Lumin, a web-based platform where social change organisations can learn marketing and communications skills.