Dentsu Aegis buys creative agency BJL as it expands in the north
Advertising group Dentsu Aegis has bought Manchester-based creative agency BJL in a bid to expand its offering in the north of England.
The deal follows a period of transformation for the independent creative agency, which has been expanding in the north of England and moved into London in 2014.
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Its current consumer and business-to-business clients include The Co-operative Bank, Skipton Building and Hilton.
The firm’s TV campaign for Ronseal, which showed a man painting a fence for three minutes, went viral following its launch in 2016.
Dentsu said the takeover will bring together BJL’s expertise with its own media and digital capabilities in the region.
Rachel McDonald, managing director of Dentsu Aegis Network North, said: “We have worked with BJL for many years and admired both the stand-out creative work that they deliver and the impressive talent they’ve grown from their headquarters in Manchester.
“The addition of BJL further strengthens our offering and ability to offer true end-to-end brand solutions for our clients across creative, media, digital and technology.”
BJL’s leadership team, which completed a management buyout of the agency in 2004, will retain their current roles, while the firm’s Manchester and London divisions will remain in their existing offices.
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BJL chief executive Nicky Unsworth said: “During our 30-year history we have enjoyed strong growth thanks to our longstanding and successful relationships with our clients as well as our unwavering commitment to delivering standout work.
“Having built our integrated model around the changing needs of brands and their consumers, we are ready now to embark on the next phase of our growth as part of Dentsu Aegis Network.”