WPP AUNZ has announced the launch of Hogarth Australia, the latest market offering of the global advertising production group Hogarth Worldwide.
Under the Hogarth Australia brand, WPP AUNZ has realigned its production agencies Agile, One20, Paragon and Carnival into one group, joining a global network of more than 2,500 employees and 25 offices worldwide.
Hogarth Australia will be led by newly-appointed CEO Justin Ricketts (pictured), who will work alongside Hogarth Australia’s new chief operating officer, David Fleer, who was formally the managing director of One20.
The local operation includes a team of over 80 staff, and will offer a full-service production capability across the entire spectrum of production, including TV, radio, print, out of home, mobile and digital, supported by Hogarth Worldwide’s production technology and processes.
Hogarth Australia comprises teams specialising in seven key production disciplines, including design, photography, primary TV and post, web design and build, dynamic digital campaigns, social content, digital, and print production and management.
Each team will have an in-house capability to deliver primary production, campaign development, and adaptation and trans-creation services.
Mike Connaghan, chief executive of WPP AUNZ, said: “Combining the global muscle of an iconic brand such as Hogarth with the local expertise and strength of four successful production houses represents a fabulous opportunity for us to lead the way in content production in Australia and further solidify our leadership position in the region.
“This model is already proving highly successful for Hogarth in other markets, and will no doubt bring great benefits to local clients and agencies alike, whether they are part of WPP AUNZ or not.
“Hogarth’s global success has demonstrated it is a model that represents the future of production, and we cannot be more excited to be launching it here.”
Kevan Thorn, joint-CEO of Hogarth Worldwide, said: “One of Hogarth’s key strengths is its ability to provide highly effective multi-brand, multi-market solutions to global clients, so building such a comprehensive partnership to serve the Australian market is a big advance for us.
“This is a great addition to our growing production network, and we look forward to being the production backbone for WPP AUNZ agencies and clients.”
Justin Ricketts, CEO of Hogarth Australia, said: “In today’s evolving media landscape, clients demand increasing amounts of content, and the time is right to disrupt old habits and evolve the production model.
“I believe at Hogarth Australia we have a way to make campaign assets better and faster, and can provide our clients with a genuine end-to-end production offering that will deliver higher quality marketing assets with better economics, while maintaining and enhancing creative integrity.
“It is important to understand that our model offers flexibility to work with some of the best up-and-coming directors and production companies from both Australia and beyond, so don’t think that working with Hogarth is creatively limiting – it’s creatively liberating.
“Our talented local team is backed by Hogarth’s proprietary technology stack, so content can be centrally managed, ensuring constant control of the production process, project costs and most importantly, quality standards. The sole beneficiary of this is our clients, and it’s what makes our offering unrivalled in this market.
“For our clients, this means their team is located under one roof, meaning better resource utilisation and technology, and therefore lower overheads so we can deliver better quality content, faster and more efficiently.
“Our clients – and our team – want more great work, better creative services, quicker turn-around, flexibility, and an innovative cross-functional way of working. That’s Hogarth in action.”
Hogarth Australia is located at WPP AUNZ’s Kent Street campus, with production facilities in Port Melbourne and at Crows Nest in Sydney.
