ZGM and Dossier leadership, from left to right: Dan King, partner and president of ZGM; Ric Williams, ZGM partner and managing director of Edmonton; Don Chisholm, co-founder and creative director of Dossier; Rob Fairhead, ZGM partner and chief strategy officer; Peter Bishop, ZGM partner and director of conversion; Mario Amantea, ZGM partner and chief operating officer; and Ronna Chisholm, co-founder and business director of Dossier.
Alberta-based marketing agency ZGM is acquiring Dossier, an agency with expertise in design, to help meet growing demand for its services in the packaged goods and food spaces.
The two shops recently worked together on a rebranding of the Little Potato Company, during which “their expertise in product innovation, design and packaging was clear and revealed the opportunity for us to strengthen in this area,” Dan King, ZGM’s president and partner, tells strategy.
In addition, Dossier brings expertise in the food and beverage sector, into which ZGM has plans to expand. Along with the Little Potato Company, the agency has worked on brands including Vega, Mike’s Hard Lemonade and The Naked Grape.
The agency is the fifth to be acquired by ZGM in just over a decade, with each company either adding a new service offering or expanding the agency’s geographic footprint, explains King. “The Dossier acquisition does both.”
“They bring unique design and product innovation and production experience while being based in Vancouver, expanding our footprint across Western Canada and into this important market,” he elaborates.
Dossier’s 12 employees will continue to operate separately under the name Dossier I ZGM, while having access to the full suite of expanded services offered by other teams within ZGM, such as its tech consultancy Paper Leaf.
“As Dossier has a design focus, ZGM’s full service offering allows greater support to the brands they build through digital and marketing services in the launch and growth phases,” says King.
The acquisition brings ZGM’s total headcount to 125 across Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver.
