Halifax-based integrated agency Colour has joined The CHR Group of agencies as it looks to expand its business into new markets and bring more services to existing clients.
As part of joining the independent holding company, Colour will be opening an office in New York in the very near future. Chris Keevill, CEO of Colour, says there aren’t any particular goals for the size of the team in the office, and discussions are now underway to find out who will be running it.
The agency’s management structure will stay the same, though Keevill will join CHR’s board of directors. Keevill, Rob Batherson, managing partner of Colour PR, Sarah Flynn, VP of Colour Creative, and Savior Joseph, VP of Colour Social and Digital, have also become shareholders in The CHR Group.
Colour, first founded in Halifax in 1977, also has offices in St. John’s, NL and opened a location in Toronto in 2010. The agency also operates Text in Context, a translation agency based in Moncton. Since the expansion to Toronto, 40% of Colour’s revenue has been coming from clients based outside of Atlantic Canada such as Nestle and GlaxoSmithKline. Keevill says the hope is opening an office in New York will allow a similar entry into the U.S. market and expand on opportunities it has already begun, such as with Renaissance Hotels.
The other benefit to joining CHR is that the agencies are all highly specialized, with Colour bringing its focus on social media engagement to the mix, Keevill says, noting that Colour will be able to draw on those resources and expertise.
“For example, you have Slingshot in Toronto, which is a brand packaging agency and very focused on CPG. Then there’s EmeryMartin in Cincinnati, which is a digital strategy company that helps bricks-and-mortar retailers grow in e-commerce,” Keevill says. “We certainly have lots of folks in Nova Scotia that could benefit from that experience.”
Other Canadian agencies that are a part of CHR include Idea Workshop, content marketing company Studio One, digital agency Stone Canoe, financial services-focused agency Adler, brand development agency Clarkhout and design shop Vantage Studios.
