23 October 23 2012

PPR makes an experiential move

Professional Public Relations, the largest and most awarded PR consultancy across New Zealand and Australia, has acquired SublimeNZ, New Zealand’s premium experiential marketing brand.

The acquisition of SublimeNZ brings two highly creative agencies together, with clear synergies but also distinct specialities, and extends the services each can offer.

The intention is to grow the SublimeNZ offering into Australia across PPR’s six State offices.

SublimeNZ founder Robert Bruce will continue with the business in the capacity of General Manager – Experiential. He already has a busy summer of activation ahead of him including managing a trans- Tasman project for shoe brand Deuce Generation, and shopper marketing for ‘VNO’ and ‘The People’s Wine’ from Constellation Brands, amongst others.

Sally Haysom, Executive Chairman, PPR New Zealand, and Executive Director of PPR Australia, said the move is part of PPR’s overall growth strategy and reflects how the communication industry is evolving.

”This is a natural partnership for both PPR and SublimeNZ at a time when communication channels are multiplying and the way that people interact with brands, companies and services, and with each other, is changing,” she says. “People increasingly want one-to-one relationships with the brands they engage with whether that is face-to-face or through digital and social channels. Specialist experiential marketing is an important part of the mix and complements more traditional ways of connecting with an organisation’s stakeholders.

“Under the entrepreneurial guidance of Robert Bruce, SublimeNZ has delivered outstanding campaigns over the last seven years. The brand complements our own enterprising approach at PPR and we are delighted to have him, and his national team of more than 150 brand ambassadors, on board.”

PPR New Zealand and SublimeNZ have been working together as partners in a growing relationship developing premium styled experiential activities for mutual clients. The acquisition is a natural alignment with clear synergies, while at the same time the two companies have their own specialities in other areas, including PPR’s corporate and finance offering and SublimeNZ’s sponsorship staffing services. The acquisition will mean a far closer collaboration and will bring further benefits to clients seeking differentiation for their products and brands in an increasingly cluttered message environment.

“PPR’s purpose is to communicate to create. Whether that is to create attention or understanding, great relationships, change, growth and leadership, opportunities or trust, we’re focused on developing an environment where our clients can excel,” says Ms Haysom. “This requires a deep understanding of a brand or organisation’s public, whether that is customers, stakeholders, influencers, shareholders and any person who either interacts, or has the potential to interact, with a product or service.”

“It also requires us to be channel agnostic, which is core to PPR’s approach in delivering strategic and creative campaigns. It’s increasingly about content creation, with the right messages in the right channels at the right time.

“Experiential marketing is a natural fit in this mix.”

Mr Bruce says, "SublimeNZ has always been about creating meaningful and measurable results for clients, called ‘Sublime Experiences’. Our strength is in the ability to find innovative ways of reaching consumers (for example at events or key commuter routes) then engaging with these audiences in order to drive sales or achieve other results.”
He adds: “We have worked with many of the leading brands in New Zealand and the world in the last seven years, and I am extremely proud of the campaigns we have developed or executed – in particular the work we managed during the Rugby World Cup 2011 where we supplied over 400 brand ambassadors. There comes a time in every business’s lifecycle where a leap in expansion is the next step, so I am thrilled that PPR has embraced experiential marketing in such a proactive way and appointed me to drive this division within their business.”

ENDS

About PPR:
PPR has offices in Auckland, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra, Adelaide and Perth and employs 170 professionals. It is the largest and most awarded PR consultancy in the region and has been established for more than 40 years. It has a number of significant clients, which it advises on both sides of the Tasman, and offers a full range of services across the public relations spectrum.

About SublimeNZ:
SublimeNZ was established in the spare bedroom of Robert Bruce’s parents’ home when he was just 22 years old. This year the business has been nominated in the “Deloitte Fast 50”Awards as one of New Zealand’s fastest growing companies. SublimeNZ is a specialist brand activation, experiential marketing, sponsorship and promotional staffing agency. It has worked with a range of leading brands since its inception, and is a specialist in the liquor, beauty, FMCG and automotive industries. It represents a national team of brand ambassadors, promotional staff and product demonstrators who are managed by a customised web-based programme that allows multiple simultaneous activations to happen nationally.