Sports, music and culture specialist agency Wasserman is expanding the breadth of its Canadian talent through the acquisition of Toronto-based independent agency Trevor//Peter, which shares its focus on lifestyle and culture brands.

The move is a significant step for Wasserman, which has been enjoying “a real, transformational time” in the Canadian market over the past five years, says Alan Palmer, SVP for the agency in Canada.

“Historically, we’ve been known more for our partnership consulting. That’s where our pedigree and background lie,” Palmer tells strategy. “It’s a really strong foundation, but we’ve been building out a more integrated offering globally, and piloting a lot of that here in Canada. We’ve been expanding organically based on our clients’ needs, and frankly, their request is for us to continue to connect the data-driven, insight-led, consulting-based approach with creative strategy, development and delivery.”

But the demand that Wasserman has seen from clients “is outpacing the growth we can do through hiring,” so it became necessary to grow more rapidly through acquisition and “invest in some industry-leading creative.” That’s where Trevor//Peter comes in.

The move is seen as a win-win for both parties – particularly because they bring differing focuses to work in the same spaces: sports, music, art and entertainment. It brings approximately 50 new employees into the agency’s fold, to collaborate on shared clients such as RBC and Diageo. Wasserman’s client roster will also expand with new clients including Red Bull, DHL, Spotify and the CFL.

Those clients, according to Chris Cook, founder and president at Trevor//Peter, will benefit from the expanded toolbox that the acquisition brings.

“When Wasserman came into the picture, there was no trying to fit puzzle pieces together,” Cook says. “They live where we live, but we each bring different tools to the mix. When we can align with someone who has the experience and pedigree of Wasserman in our spaces, while remaining true to our marketing, advertising and brand experience focuses, that’s a no-brainer.”

“When you’re looking at acquisition, it’s not very often that there’s limited redundancies between the businesses,” adds Palmer. “We just see this as a complementary addition.”

Wasserman has done some content and creative work in the past, but “this gives us the ability to do that at scale,” says Steve Marshman, managing director and EVP at the agency. “It really gives us a lot of extra horsepower and the ability to bring things to life for our clients.”

Cook will remain president at Trevor//Peter following the acquisition, and the brand will maintain its own identity within the Wasserman group of companies, Marshman says. In addition to dozens of its own offices globally, Wasserman’s network also includes Laundry Service, Cycle, The Collective and Athlete Exchange.

“Trevor//Peter has built an amazing business and we don’t want to interrupt that at all,” he notes. However, “integration of the two businesses is where the magic exists,” and so it will be a priority for the two businesses.

Ultimately, “it’s about what’s best for the client,” Marshman says.

“There’s a really big opportunity with the pedigree coming together from Wasserman and Trevor//Peter to continue to push forward the agency-sponsorship-consultancy model and to provide a really unique offering in the marketplace that isn’t otherwise out there,” says Palmer. “When we look at both businesses, we both have really impressive growth trajectories over the past 10 to 15 years, and we’re very confident and excited by the potential momentum this acquisition will bring to that.”