Independent agency VERSA has officially launched, merging together digital experience and design agency Deepend Melbourne and voice experience (VX) agency VERSA.
The news comes after last week when Deepend Group announced it would split from the Melbourne-based offices Deepend Melbourne and VERSA.
Deepend Group co-founder and CEO Matt Griffin sold his shares in Deepend Melbourne, along with its 50% stake in Versa, to co-founder Kath Blackham.
In an exclusive interview with AdNews, founder and CEO Kath Blackham and managing director Jonny Clow revealed why the agency split from Deepend Group and what is in store for the newly-formed VERSA.
“Over the last probably two to three years – probably three and a half years – since I launched VERSA, Matt who runs Deepend Sydney and I have basically been on a different trajectory,” Blackham says.
“We definitely wish the best for one another and he's excited about where what we're doing.”
She says the split was amicable and was more about gaining full independence to make investments for the business and begin global expansion.
Joining her in leading the new agency is Jonny Clow, who recently joined VERSA from VMLY&R where he was client services director.
Clow brings over 20 years’ experience working in the UK, US and Australia. He also founded BD Network in Melbourne in 2010 which won AdNews' Best Emerging Agency in 2011 and Best Small Agency in 2013.
For both Blackham and Clow, the business will remain independent, with plans to instead become the biggest indie digital agency in Australia.
Clow says that one of the greatest benefits to being in an independent agency is being agile – something that has enabled VERSA to change ownership, name and begin global expansion.
“The most beautiful thing about being an independent agency compared to the networks, is you’re constantly changing them – and that’s not because we don’t have a road map and don’t have a plan. We do,” Clow explains.
Since he began with the agency five months ago, Clow says the business has already got someone on the ground in Singapore with plans to open up offices in Sydney and the U.S. as well.
The Singapore office is its first foray into the Asian market, creating a base to service key markets in China, Indonesia and India while also introducing VX to other parts of the continent.
Blackham says they’ll be looking for locations in the U.S. outside of hotspots like New York and Los Angeles where the market is saturated with competition, opting for “hubs” which are well connected.
“We haven’t quite decided yet [but the plan is] for us to base ourselves in somewhere like Austin, Atlanta… where we can actually have our own space within where we are but has really good connections,” she says.
Aside from global expansion, the agency will continue to champion a better workplace culture.
The agency rose to fame in the last year for its “four-day working week”, which has been featured on the ABC, Triple J, Today, Sunrise, BBC and more. It also recently won AdNews Employer of the Year.
Blackham even received a call from UK supermarket Morrisons head of people and culture who wanted to learn how to implement it within their business. Blackham noted it would more likely be a difficult and different approach for the supermarket which employs around 6,000 people compared to her agency’s 55.
“I’d love to see it done at scale to see if something we created a year ago can actually be done at scale,” she says.
“But we’re not the same.”
Culture and people remain at the core of the new business as Blackham and Clow continue to seek out ways to improve the work/life balance for staff.
From extensive parental leave packages and paw-ternity leave, to 3pm walks as a whole office and resident office dogs, VERSA is paving the way with “break-through” HR innovations.
“So, we’ve just come up with a new fabulous maternity, paternity and – dare I say – pawternity policy throughout the agency,” Clow says.
“Every two or three months, we want to try something new and as we expand the pressure is going to be on how you cope with some of those initiatives due to growth, not only with our head office in Melbourne but in other areas and other cultures.”
Its new paid parental leave policy offers the standard government parental leave period with an additional 16 weeks paid leave. Benefits for all new parents include a $1,000 Baby Bunting voucher, a dedicated cleaner, meal services, free nappies and flexible back to work working arrangements.
Additionally, the agency now offers staff with new puppies a week off to be at home with them, a $500 Pet Barn voucher and then another four weeks where they can be brought into the office.
Since the initial VERSA arm of the business launched in 2017, it has experienced year-on-year revenue growth at 46% and with a portfolio of clients which include beyondblue, Dairy Australia, Nova, Village Cinemas, Domino's, nib, Red Cross and Scenic.
The agency has also appointed technical director Guill Rodas who joined the business following 10 years at Isobar.
Both Blackham and Clow will be speaking at the AdNews Summit in Melbourne on 8 August.
Early Bird tickets are available now, priced at $610.00 per person. Tickets can be purchased here.
AdNews would like to thank our Summit partners: TVSquared, Trade Desk, Mediacom, VMLY&R, Quantcast and Scentre Group.
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