Leeds-based marketing agency Ponderosa has acquired eCommerce specialist Marvellous and merged with sister agency Grapple.
The combined agencies have a headcount to 52 (28 from Ponderosa, 12 from Grapple and 10 from Marvellous) and the new team has already won three new clients – despite working remotely.
Ponderosa is a brand-led marketing agency that was founded by Richard Midgley and Steve Henry in late 2010. Clients include Hisense, Clearly Drinks, Russell Hobbs, Hawkshead Brewery and Sovereign Healthcare.
Midgley said: “When we launched Ponderosa we merged my brand experience and background with Steve’s direct and digital expertise to create a concise offering for our clients back then it was about the connection of the right message and the right delivery and it still is.
“Grapple emerged from the old Digital Welly as a stand-alone business which could offer clients great immersive digital experiences alongside sister brand Ponderosa.
“We have long suspected that lots of digital agencies focus on the technology and what it can do. Whilst that is important it’s only half the story. We believe that the marriage of deep brand understanding and highly technical capabilities – brought together by insight – will lead to exponential results.
“Therefore, when the opportunity to acquire Marvellous presented itself to Steve and Richard it was the perfect chance to grow and evolve Ponderosa Group.
“We have always started with insight and brand. The rest – including design, creative, social media, digital and e-commerce – is always much easier and more effective when the brand message is clear.”
Simon Latham, co-founder of Marvellous, added: “As an agency we have built a great client base and we pride ourselves on being experts in our field. With four Magento developers we are considered Gold Standard – one of only a handful of agencies in the north.
“However, we had reached a point where to grow and be able to offer our team opportunities to develop we needed to do something different.
“This acquisition allows us to enjoy more diverse and challenging opportunities. Working with new clients as well as being able to offer new services to our existing client base.”
