Graeme Wills, who exited Publicis Mojo last year, has re-emerged as chairman of independent media agency Razor and sister creative shop Us.
As part of the deal Us – which previously rebadged from Junior about five years ago when a previous Razor alliance ended – will be rebranded again as Joy. Wills has taken a significant stake in the agency, although the size has not been disclosed.
The move by Razor Group follows Wills’ launch of Joy in NZ, a process which raised eyebrows when it coincided with the closure of Publicis Mojo NZ and many clients moved across to the new operation.
Razor Group directors and joint-CEO’s Simon Rush and Andrew Wynne will remain. As Mumbrella reported last week, Razor’s MD Jonathan Hopkins is moving to MCM Media with a replacement to be announced shortly.
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Us will rebrand to Joy tomorrow.
Wynne – who became close friends with Wills during his time as regional planning director at Mojo prior to launching Razor – said: “We’ve created a new kind of company because there is a new kind of consumer and a new kind of market place,” he said.
“We are still a creative company, but we have a very different view of how creativity should be used. Joy is about understanding how to land a brand into the cultures and communities that drive business success.
“We are thrilled that Graeme Wills has joined the Group as Chairman. Graeme is one of the most talented and respected leaders within our industry. We’ve admired his work for many years and it’s fantastic to have him share our vision of the agency’s future.”
Joy clients will include Goodman Fielder, SBS, Nike, Subaru, News Australia, H&R Block, Colonial First State Global Asset Management.