Bolster & Common State Merge To Form New Agency Group

Culture marketing firm Bolster and arts and entertainment PR agency Common State have merged to form a new agency group.

Using the expertise and resources of each agency, Bolster Group will provide a full-service offer incorporating communications, creative, media, PR, talent and influencer management, events and digital and commercial rights services.

Bolster Group will continue to work with clients from the music, entertainment, and arts industries and with brands look to gain traction in the sectors.

The group will also welcome commercial rights, experiential and sponsorship specialists Aeroplane Agency and Indigenous-owned creative collective Going North. Based in Darwin, Going North works with a range of clients to deliver culture-forward projects in the Northern Territory.

Common State founder Luke McKinnon and Bolster managing director James Clarke (also founder of Aeroplane Agency and Going North) will be the largest shareholders of the newly formed entity.

Clarke will serve as CEO of Bolster Group with McKinnon as managing partner, while also remaining managing director of Common State. As part of the amalgamation, Emma Costello returns to Common State as general manager after a stint in Europe, and Darren Levin steps into the newly created role of head of creative and strategy.

“The plan was simple,” said co-founder Luke McKinnon.

“Bring the absolute best-of-the-best when it comes to entertainment and culture marketing services under one roof and present clients with a robust integrated offer. Each agency brings deep sector expertise, but it is our inherent understanding of the cultural space that connects us. For brands, ‘delivering cultural relevance’ is a clarion call. Bolster Group agencies know no other way. It’s what got us here in the first place.”

Bolster Group launches with clients including Bacardi Martini, Pernod Ricard and Secret Sounds.

“Bolster and Common State’s trajectories have risen in parallel,” said Clarke.

“From scrappy start-up beginnings, we’re both delivering world-class campaigns for the country’s best entertainment organisations and culture-focused brands. We’ve built out new ventures with great partners along the way including Going North and Aeroplane. My focus for the group is to enable clients to unlock maximum value through our integrated service offering – something that has not been done to its fullest potential in the entertainment and culture space before. This is also about giving our talented teams the opportunity to creatively flex across different marketing disciplines and a broad range of projects and outputs.”

While continuing to operate independently under their respective brand names, Bolster, Common State, Aeroplane and Going North will commence a combined service offering to clients.

Bacardi-Martini Australia marketing director Donna Mulholland appointed the group to oversee creative, digital and PR for its core four brands – Bombay Sapphire, Grey Goose, Patrón and Bacardi.

“I wanted an agency partner who’d bring the strategic rigour of a big shop, but the insider nous (and knowhow) to take our brands – both super premium and those steeped in heritage – and explode them into the cultural zeitgeist,” said Mulholland.

“In Bolster Group, we’ve found the perfect partner – nimble, plugged in and creatively on-point.”

The group is headquartered in Melbourne and employs 62 staff across Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Darwin.

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