The former CEO and founder of IPG Mediabrands-owned content agency Ensemble, Justin Ricketts, has resurfaced at what appears to be a newly launched content agency owned by WPP AUNZ.
AdNews understands Ricketts, who established Ensemble here in 2010 and left in 2016 along with its MD Tim Hodgson "to pursue new opportunities", is now the CEO of 'Agile Content Productions'. The agency was set up this year and is part of the WPP AUNZ stable.
The new specialist production unit, which WPP AUNZ is not quite ready to announce, has an 'agile' approach to the development and delivery of 'audience first content'. It's described as “resourceful, ingenious and disruptive” in the way it provides video and animated social content production services - to WPP AUNZ agencies and its clients.
WPP AUNZ would not be drawn on the new venture and had no comment.
Its specialities, such as video content and animated social content, will no doubt compete with Ricketts' former shop Ensemble, which pitches itself as a 'full spectrum content agency'.
In February Melissa Fein, previously Channel Ten's national head of client solutions division Generate, was named as CEO of Ensemble. The job shake-ups at Ensemble, which has 50 staff based in Sydney and Melbourne ,were the first under IPG's new group CEO Danny Bass.
Earlier this month IPG continued to back content after it acquired a majority stake in Australian branded content and entertainment agency Milkmoney.
Update
After this story was published, WPP AUNZ later released a statement regarding the venture, which is 100% owned by WPP AUNZ
Group business director of WPP AUNZ, Rob Currie, says its view is that its clients want specialists, but need a more effective model to work with multiple agencies.
“Agile will sit firmly within our over-reaching strategic focus on horizontality, with a motivation to fully integrate itself within the group and focus on collaborating and working with them to develop and produce audience first video content,” Currie says.
Agile is headed by Ricketts, working alongside MD Grant Anderson, plus a team of content specialists.
Prior to also working at Ensemble, Anderson consulted with global sports and entertainment firm, Octagon Australia, working across a client base which included MasterCard, Lion Nathan, Unilever, YUM Restaurants, Coca Cola and PowerAde.
Ricketts says this new type of proposition fits well with an increased client demand for quality audience-first video content as the landscape evolves and brands need to find new ways to reach and engage consumers.
“Video is the most effective channel inside digital and we believe brands can play a larger role in inspiring all forms of audience-first content, including TV,” Ricketts says.
“We are looking to be innovative and disruptive in how we deliver content more efficiently and effectively - hence the name Agile.
He added that Agile will have a ‘laser focus’ on creating and producing video and animated social content to engage audiences.
“The sole purpose of Agile is to help the operating company’s who need to create and produce audience-first content more effectively. This will be achieved in partnership with Agile.”
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