Winnipeg has a new 30-person marketing agency called Think Shift that specializes in strategy, creative, interactive, print, media placement, social media training and mobile development.
The new agency is the result of Mars Hill Group (an e-commerce, website design and development firm) merging with ad agency BCG Communications.
David Baker (former president of The Mars Hill Group) has been appointed CEO of Think Shift. Robert Bulman (former president of BCG Communications) is now president of the new company, while Colin Whitney has been appointed creative director.
Baker said it made sense to merge Mars Hill with a traditional advertising agency given the number of firms handling web design for their clients in-house.
Baker is looking to add more staff, but said it could be difficult finding people with experience and skills in both the traditional and interactive arenas.
Mars Hill Group and BCG Communications were able to retain the majority of their accounts through the merger, he added. Mars Hill Group did lose “some agency business” however, due to conflict, said Baker.
In a release, creative director Whitney said the new agency has already gained traction with new clients.
“It’s the one-two punch really. First, we develop a strategy that demands an aligned brand starting on the inside,” he said. “Then we concentrate on activating that brand on the outside. We make sure it’s a brand that people want to find, interact with and advocate for.”
Think Shift’s client list includes: Cargil, the Conservative Party of Canada and the Manitoba Securities Commission, among others.
