A former North West agency founder has launched a new brand communications and experience design business in Manchester.
Lee Ashton, who previously founded and ran Cheshire-based Bugler Smith, has unveiled WonderMaker, a new agency combining brand communications with experience design.
During his time at Bugler Smith, Ashton grew the business from a video and live events operation into a multi-discipline agency, working with clients including Pets at Home, American Golf, Vets for Pets, Booking.com and Just Eat.
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Drawing on almost 25 years’ experience working with corporate and consumer brands, Ashton said WonderMaker has been built to bridge the gap between communications strategy and experiential delivery.
Based in Manchester city centre, the agency will operate across employee experiences, brand activations, launch events, as well as communications strategy, internal communications and campaigns. It is already working with a number of national brands.
Ashton said: “Most agencies are set up to do one thing well, either they understand how to craft communications that land with an audience, or they know how to create an experience that moves people.
“Very few genuinely understand both, for internal and external audiences. At WonderMaker we do, because our team comes from both worlds.
“That means when a client comes to us, we’re not starting from a specialism and working outward, we’re starting from what they need to achieve, and we know which combination of communications and experience will actually deliver it.
“The result is work that doesn’t just look good or feel good in the room, it moves people and drives action.”
