Engine Creative and ODD Unite Under New Name: House 337

Three months after Engine Group U.K. was acquired by Next 15 Communications for $103.5 million (77.5 million pounds), the business has formally merged Engine Creative and ODD to form a new agency: House 337. When it snapped up the group in March, Next 15 said all divisions—including Engine Creative, Engine Transformation and MHP Mischief—would continue to "operate with a new level of independence" and benefit "from significant investment" to drive growth. As part of the deal, Engine Creative was merged with the data-driven growth consultancy's ad shop ODD, with the pair united under the leadership of chief executive Phil Fearnley, ex-ODD group boss. It was confirmed that MHP Mischief and Engine Transformation would continue as stand-alone brands under their existing leadership within the Next 15 portfolio of companies. Now, Fearnley has christened the newly-formed agency under the marque House 337. The business was officially registered in the U.K. with companies house in May. The website was registered in June. Adweek has reached out to Next 15 for further comment on the rebrand. At the time of writing there was no official statement. When the deal closed, Fearnley said bringing the two businesses together would present "opportunities for our outstanding people to develop their expertise and for our clients to benefit from the inspired application of creativity, data and technology.” Charlie Hurrell, chief client officer at Engine Creative, said the duo's clients and creative teams would be "enriched by access to the breadth of capabilities and opportunities available to them.” Engine Creative and ODD confirmed back in March they would soon unveil a new name, proposition and identity. ODD's client list includes British retailer Marks & Spencer and Benefit cosmetics, while Engine has long-forged relationships with insurance business Churchill, Warburtons, the Royal Navy and Women's Aid among others. Acquisition ambitions Next 15 has been on an acquisition spree this year. In May, it agreed to buy M&C Saatchi for $387.2 million (310.1 million pounds). The deal followed months of a failed hostile takeover bid by the agency’s deputy chair, Vindoka “Vin” Murria, through her acquisition company, AdvancedAdvT Limited (AdvT). In a statement to the market, Tim Dyson, CEO of Next Fifteen, described the deal as “an exciting opportunity” to merge the businesses to create “a truly global and diversified group.” He said the M&C Saatchi ownership would give the company a "step change" in its scale and global reach in territories including the U.S., the U.K., Asia and Australia, as well as an enhanced ability to offer digitally solutions to "growth-minded organizations." Next 15 Acquires Engine UK for $103.5 Million

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Agency brands retired as consolidation is cemented under joint proposition

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