ASIA-PACIFIC – SEPTEMBER 30, 2011: McCann Worldgroup Australia has announced the acquisition of SMART, an award-winning creative shop and one of the largest independent ad agencies in Australia and New Zealand. The new entity assumes the name McCann Erickson Australia and will operate in the current McCann Worldgroup offices as one of Australia’s largest agencies.
SMART, which has offices in Melbourne, Sydney, Queensland and Auckland, is owned and led by CEO Ben Lilley, Executive Creative Director John Mescall and Managing Partner and National Planning Director Ashley Farr. The agency has extensive experience across a range of local and global clients including adidas, ANZ Bank, Coca Cola, Dulux, Ferrero, Levi’s, News Limited, SEEK, Specsavers, Unilever, Vodafone and numerous government agencies.
Effective immediately, Ben Lilley assumes the role as CEO of the combined operation, replacing Chris Mort. Ashley Farr will oversee the Sydney office and lead the planning discipline.
Charles Cadell, Regional Managing Director McCann Worldgroup SEA and Australasia, commented, “SMART has an amazing reputation and is famous for its irreverent, youthful and exuberant advertising and its vibrant media footprint. The collective genius of SMART’s exceptional local
expertise combined with the scale of McCann Worldgroup provides an even greater foundation to produce groundbreaking work from the local to the global stage.”
CEO Ben Lilley said: “SMART has proudly been an independent agency with an outstanding track record of growth and creative excellence over the last ten years. Uniting with McCann Worldgroup was the perfect next step in our evolution. Our aspirations, vision and principles are absolutely aligned. The combined competencies of our agencies coupled with the global footprint of McCann Worldgroup creates an unrivalled strategic and creative offering across the Australian and New Zealand markets.”
