The Chase has acquired strategic brand consultancy Squad, and also fully acquired Oscar and BAFTA-nominated production agency, the Chase Films, previously a joint venture with Mark Gill and Alex Roberts.
The Squad acquisition brings Squad’s clients and team under the Chase name, with a combined leadership team to take the expanded business forward.
From its Manchester base, the Chase has become one of the most awarded creative consultancies in the world, twice topping Design Week’s league table for most awarded agency.
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Founded by Ben Casey and Lionel Hatch in 1986, the consultancy is known for its unwavering belief in the importance of pin-sharp creative thinking. This belief is stronger than ever as brands battle to express precisely who they are in a noisy and ever-changing world.
The acquisitions further strengthen and expand the Chase’s capabilities amongst the most renowned, independent agencies across the world.
Led by Rob Gray and David Barraclough, Squad has built a strong reputation for strategic brand leadership at board level, and has particular experience in consumer brands such as Brother, Eurocamp, JW Lees, Tebay Services, Umbro and ZSL London Zoo.
The Chase Films brings feature-film production quality to the Chase’s work. With film and motion so integral to the Chase, it’s a natural step to strengthen this creative partnership. The Chase Films will continue to work directly with clients and other agencies across all areas of film production and animation.
Together the businesses now form a global brand studio united around the Chase’s philosophy of creativity consultancy – not just executing briefs but proactively advising clients on how creativity can grow their brands. The expanded agency will deploy creativity upstream at a strategic level and work across identity systems, campaigns, and digital, physical, and environmental design, bringing coherence to brands across mediums and media.
As well as strengthening the Chase’s proposition, the acquisitions are also about succession, building a leadership team equipped to take the business forward into the future.
Most recently the Chase has been led by Ben Casey and Bev Hutchinson. Rob Gray now joins as managing & strategy director and David Barraclough as creative director. Both will become shareholders alongside award-winning film & creative director Mark Gill and business director Alex Roberts.
The combined team will be based in Manchester, with a staff of around 40 people. The Chase views the city as the ideal place to consolidate its base and service its roster of international clients. There will be no redundancies and no client conflicts as a result of the acquisitions.
Casey said: “When Lionel and I founded the Chase in a Manchester suburb forty years ago, we did so with the ambition of providing a level of creativity that challenged the dominant London design groups. At the heart of our success has been supporting and believing in the UK creative industries and maintaining a steady stream of talent coming into the business. I’m certain our new combined team can soar to even greater heights.
“Our coming together with the Chase is the right next step for us to take both businesses to the next level”, says Rob Gray. “The North needs powerhouse agencies of an international calibre, and we intend to maintain our position amongst the best-of-the-best globally.”
Squad’s Barraclough, added: “When I first started in the industry the Chase set the benchmark for creativity, not just in Manchester but globally. Their work was never about strategy and creativity, but the intersection of both. It’s an honour and a privilege to now become part of this talented combined team and I’m excited about the future for the business.”
On the film side, Gill said: “The Chase Films has been part of the family for over a decade, and during that time we’ve built a proven track record in world-class film production. Coming even closer together as part of this next chapter gives us the ability to think at a brand level and execute at a film level, all within one group. That’s an incredibly powerful proposition, and I’m excited about what we can now create together.”
