Cossette has given its PR and social media services a real boost by opening a Toronto office of the recently acquired Rocket XL.
Ian Barr, who joins Rocket XL as managing director after eight years at Hill & Knowlton, will lead the Toronto shop for the L.A.-based social media and interactive word-of-mouth agency.
Cossette and Rocket XL are collaborating on an existing unnamed campaign said Barr, who is currently assessing Cossette’s client list “to see where we can assist them.”
“We’re especially pleased to have Ian Barr spearheading our efforts in Canada,” said Rocket XL CEO Craig Howe in a release. “With his strong digital PR background, Ian has natural instincts that transition well into our unique approach to social media.”
Rocket XL gives marketers a one-stop shop for digital communications, said Barr.
“All creative, strategy, web application development, research, distribution is done in-house,” said Barr. “By keeping it all in-house we can streamline the communications process and achieve global results on regional budgets.”
Marketers need to start thinking about how social media complements their existing digital marketing activities, added Barr.
“We go online and engage influencers on behalf of a brand,” he said. “Where we fit in is really influencing organic search and organic word-of-mouth.”
Opened in 2002, Rocket XL has worked with HBO, Comcast and Sony’s video game division. Its annual revenues when it was acquired last spring were estimated at US$2.25 million, though the company says it has grown since then.
“Rocket XL is a critical asset in our convergent digital strategy and will work closely with our other Toronto business units complementing the work of Optimum Public Relations, Fjord Interactive, Magnet Search Engine Optimization and Cossette Media,” said Cossette Toronto managing director Brett Marchand, in a release.
Last month Cossette merged its creative departments across various disciplines like broadcast, interactive and digital, and moved the various groups onto the same floor at its downtown Toronto location.
Rocket XL also has offices in New York and Stockholm.
