Next 15 has scrapped the House 337 brand in favour of Elvis, three months after the agencies merged their operations in what was branded a “simplification strategy” across the parent company’s businesses, slashing its portfolio from 22 to 12.
The move triggered the exit of Elvis CEO Tanya Whitehouse, who stepped down after 17 years with the agency, with former chief executive of House 337 chief executive Phil Fearnley (pictured) leading the combined business.
House 337 chiefs have now secured key positions within Elvis, including chief growth officer Lucy Freedman and chief creative officer Josh Green.
House 337 was formed in 2022 by merging creative agency Engine Creative and fashion and lifestyle specialist ODD Group, following Next 15’s acquisition of Engine. The name was derived from the number of its founding employees; its client roster includes the Royal Navy, Santander, Women’s Aid, and Sweaty Betty.
Elvis, meanwhile, was founded in 2003 and acquired by Next 15 in 2017. The agency specialises in digital and creative work for consumer brands including Cadbury, Sony PlayStation, Honda, and Cycling UK.
It is understood that the Elvis name was chosen as bosses beleive it is more suited to a new entertainment era, with the relaunch introducing a philosophy dubbed “serious entertainment”, a strategy designed to bridge the gap between traditional brand-building and high-grade creative content.
The agency stated: “In an era of attention scarcity, entertainment is no longer a tactic, it’s the model for how brands are built.”
This new direction focuses on the three core pillars of entertainment brands, developing strategy and original Intellectual Property;
multi-channel experiences, designing retail, digital, and social interactions; and content formats, producing documentaries, podcasts, and recurring series.
Maintaining its status as a B Corp certified agency, the new Elvis is also launching an “ethical entertainment charter” which outlines commitments to protecting creator rights and ensures artificial intelligence is only deployed with explicit consent and fair compensation.
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