The Humanise Collective has added Toronto creative agency The Garden to its roster in a new joint venture that co-founder and senior partner Sébastien Fauré described as “a union for the better good.”
The Humanise Collective is comprised of entrepreneur-led companies across the broader marketing services sector. It is comprised of eight locally-owned companies with expertise spanning disciplines including brand strategy, media planning and buying, as well as data and analytics.
Fauré said their focus is on meeting client requirements for agency partners capable of delivering services across multiple disciplines, and Toronto remains a key area of focus for growth.
The Garden co-founders Shari Walczak and Shane Ogilvie, who founded the agency in 2015, bring an enticing combination of entrepreneurial acumen and industry experience to the venture, he said.
“In order to [grow] in Toronto we need to have some kingpins that can play the game and speak the right language with the right level of seniority, and that’s what we’re trying to achieve,” he said.
The Garden’s 15-person staff pushes the Humanise headcount in Toronto to approximately 65 people across its creative agency Bleublancrouge, as well as specialist agencies including the media services arm Glassroom, and business planning unit Tulipe.
The partnership with The Humanise Collective will act as a catalyst for growth for The Garden by providing it with access to its various specialist units. “It’s a boost of capabilities that can happen very quickly,” said Fauré. “It’s almost like a plug and play.”
The Garden will continue to operate independently and maintain its own P&L, but Walczak said that partnering with The Humanise Collective provides an opportunity to potentially pitch on assignments asking for a broader set of capabilities.
“The exciting thing for us is that we can play in those sandboxes now with all of the clout of The Humanise Collective in our corner,” she said. “It provides an opportunity for us to play in bigger pastures.”
Ogilvie said that The Garden has been approached by different organizations about a potential merger or acquisition since its launch, but the partners felt an “instant connection” with the Humanise leaders.
“Not only in their holding company structure that propels entrepreneurial-minded leaders to create value and facilitate transformational change for ambitious clients, but also in their people-first approach that strives to be a force for good in our industry and beyond.”
Walzac said she’s proud of the agency’s ability to “really punch above our weight,” but that it’s not uncommon for clients to enquire about specific expertise. “[S]uddenly we started to see the opportunity to grow with some partnerships,” she said. “It’s given us the flexibility to offer more services to existing clients where they might need it.”
The Garden’s client list includes Samsung, Jack Astor’s, Roots, Sodastream and Rakuten Kobo. Earlier this month, it was named agency of record for Carlsberg Canada.
