Another one bites the dust: MBAstack is now The Gate

One of the last remaining direct marketing agency brands is being sent to the scrapyard with MBAstack – which can trace its roots back to Maher Bird Associates and even Clark McKay Walpole – being gobbled up by MSQ sister agency The Gate.

It is claimed the merger has created a “leader in joined-up brand and customer experience creativity”, which will be able to serve “progressive marketers looking for strong integration of brand building, customer experience and CRM, in order to build the powerful brands of the future”.

The move will build on the work the duo are already doing together with clients, including 3’s Smarty Mobile with the new entity being led predominantly by The Gate’s senior team of Jamie Elliott as CEO, Kit Altin as chief strategy officer and Lucas Peon as chief creative officer, while MBAstack’s Stephen Maher will be chair.

James Middlehurst and Charlotte Wolfenden (currently MDs of MBAstack and The Gate respectively) will be managing directors responsible for joining up the industry leading brand and customer experience practices.

Quite what has led to the merger is unclear as MSQ claims MBAstack has doubled in size since its formation three years ago following MSQ’s acquisition of MBA, winning new assignments from brands such as AkzoNobel/Dulux, Away Resorts and DoorDash, as well as pitching together with The Gate to win 3’s Smarty Mobile among others.

Jamie Elliott said: “This union formalises what we have been doing informally for a couple of years now. Building on strong track records in brand and CX creativity, we have developed another track record in joining them up. Together, we are better set-up to give a tangible advantage to the world’s leading marketers and, as a bigger creative gang, shake the market up.”

MSQ executive director Kate Howe added: “Everything about MSQ is designed to be client-centric. This move is further recognition of the speed at which brands need to move today and clients’ need for transformative creative platforms that can deliver distinctive, relevant and personalised experiences at every touchpoint. There’s never a better time to unite two agencies than when they are both operating brilliantly and for us that time is now.”

Interestingly, rival agency Ogilvy has done the complete opposite and last week resuscitated its direct marketing brand OgilvyOne, seven years after killing it off.