The Dublin-based digital agency Strategem has been acquired by Connelly Partners, a Boston-headquartered agency for an undisclosed sum.
Following the acquisition, the agency will be rebranded Connelly Partners (Dublin) and Keith Lee, founder of Strategem, will continue to head up the firm from its existing Irishtown offices, which will now act as a European hub. In addition, Courtney Doyle of Connelly Partners in Boston has been appointed managing partner and will split her time between both locations.
The newly named agency will embark on a major expansion with the addition of up to 65 jobs over the next three years.
According to Keith Lee: “The addition of 65 new jobs in the next three years will be across advertising and client services, web, data, tech, content and shopper marketing.
“Our approach to advertising has always been about human behaviour and what makes people buy into modern brands. Having vast amounts of data is useless unless you understand the humanity, what makes people tick and why they make the decisions they make. Bringing clients on a journey that provides real, tangible results and crucially return on investment, in a creative and technically advanced manner is in our DNA. Having worked with Connelly Partners on a couple of projects already, we both quickly knew that we shared a similar set of objectives and a similar way of working.”
Both companies were keen to stress that this is an exciting time for current and new clients, who will now benefit from a wider range of planning and creative services with more data science resources and the methodologies. However, Mr Lee also pointed out there will be a period of transition over the coming months as both agencies continue to merge their operations but ultimately the dual European and US locations will facilitate Irish clients keen to expand into the US, as well as US companies interested in the wider European markets, with an Irish base. With both companies operating in the transport, tourism, food and retail sectors. A collaborative focus on navigating multiple cultures will be of enormous benefit to both.
“Connelly Partners is a people agency. We understand what’s happening around us – from a cultural, political and business perspective – we get what clients want to do, where they want to go, and we use great creativity and technology to deliver results. It’s that powerful mix that will make Connelly Partners (Dublin) a technology hub and launch pad into the UK and wider European markets”, said Courtney Doyle, incoming Managing Partner.
Connelly Partners, founded 18 years ago, employs 150 people in Boston and has a turnover of $61m. Clients include American Express Travel, CIE Tours, Samsonite, Gorton’s Seafood, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts amongst others.
