Draftfcb seems to be looking ramp up its digital capabilities across the pond and in doing so, the agency has acquired nine-year-old U.K. shop Blue Barracuda, which will now be merged into Draft London. As a result of the purchase, Draft will now house the 60+ BB staffers and add Pizza Hut and Getty Images to its existing client roster that includes Coca-Cola, Taco Bell, Bausch + Lomb and Boeing.
The new entity will continue operating under the Draftfcb London name with an attached descriptor that reads, “Fuelled by Blue Barracuda.” As for the new management structure, Draftfcb London’s current leaders including president Kate Howe (pictured), COO/CFO Mark Young and ECD Mark Fiddes will be joined by the Blue Barracuda management team of Martin Talks (pictured), formerly BB’s CEO who will now serve as the new president of digital, Marcus Exall as digital director, Draftfcb London, Nick Berry as planning director, digital (formerly planning director), and Adrian Nicholls as client services director (formerly managing director).
Regarding the acquisition, Draftfcb worldwide CEO/president Laurence Boschetto says in a statement, “Blue Barracuda is a perfect match for Draftfcb, both culturally and in terms of its capabilities and the expertise it provides. Its talented staff shares our fundamental belief that our clients and their customers’ needs have to be central regardless of the channel. This combination represents a new type of integrated agency in the U.K. that ultimately will provide innovative, media-agnostic solutions for a digital world.”