Runacus, Brown and Colling back new agency start-up

WaxOnData-driven marketing stalwarts Mark Runacus and Matthew Brown have linked up with DM media big wig Mike Colling as key business “dragons” behind an agency start-up formed by former Karmarama duo Ben Hooper and Paul Jacobs.
The agency, dubbed Wax/On, will be based in Colling’s offices at MC&C in London and aims to bring creative and media closer together.
Runacus and Brown first met at Hicklin Slade & Partners, before rebranding the agency Crayon and then flogging it to Karmarama in 2012. They both quit the business late last year. Meanwhile Runacus and Colling have also worked closely at industry body the DMA.
Hooper and Jacobs have been working at Edelman for the past 12 months, as senior content director and director respectively. They also left Karmarama last year.
Wax/On will work closely with MC&C on some clients; it is understood both Brown and Runacus will be involved in the day-to-day running of the agency.
It is already working on projects for advertisers including Unicef, Fred Perry, Water Aid and English beer brand Curious Brew.
Jacobs said: “We firmly believe that putting creative and media back together at this scale offers better, more cost-effective work. Now is the time for agencies to stand up and prove that we can play a key role in the growth of modern businesses and our ambition is to a be a part of that.”
Hooper added: “Commercial creativity of any kind that is developed in isolation of how and where someone is going to interact with it is becoming understandably harder for clients to buy. Our vision is simple: create work that is interesting enough to earn attention but has the accuracy of modern, audience-first media planning and buying.”

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