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Droga5 brand withdraws from New Zealand as agency rebrands as The Collective

The struggling New Zealand operation of Droga5, which was hit by the loss of key client ASB Bank earlier this year, has rebranded as The Collective.

The move sees the Droga5 brand pull out of New Zealand after just two years in the market.

The rebadged agency, which is believed to have around five staff, will continue to be run by Mike O’Sullivan, who was principal at Droga5 New Zealand, with digital partner Jose Alomajan.

Droga5 New Zealand was not owned by Droga5 – the Droga5 name was licensed to O’Sullivan to operate under, Mumbrella understands, though this was not confirmed by the agency.

In a press release, O’Sullivan commented that much of the work available in New Zealand was project based.

“Our model will reflect that,” he said. “There are many experienced, talented people out there who want to work this way. The Collective can be about working with one person or many. It all depends on the task. The Collective will partner with clients like Qantas, AA Travel, Phoenix and Telecom. We will work with agencies as well.”

The rebranded shop, though local in focus, will be affiliated with LA-based agency World Wide Mind, the new agency stated.

Dave Droga, founder of Droga5, said: “Using The Collective in Auckland will allow us to provide the maximum amount of client satisfaction to Qantas.”

O’Sullivan added: “I’ve always wanted to try this model. A lot of the people we’ll be working with have great records at other agencies. This is our chance to try something bold and new. It might even be fun.”

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