News & Press / September 8, 2020

ICOM Expands, Strengthens Service Offerings Beyond Traditional Services with Addition of Two US-based Agencies

ICOM, one of the world's leading global networks of independent agencies providing advertising, marketing communications, media, digital and related services, continues to expand its capabilities to enhance value to clients with the appointment of two new U.S.-based members, BrandJuice and Imagemakers.

BrandJuice, headquartered in Denver, Colorado, brings expertise in brand strategy, business innovation, design and creative activation, with a focus on creating and revitalizing leading brands through a blend of strategic and creative services. Imagemakers, a 19-year-old pure tech-digital agency based near Kansas City, Missouri, builds customized platforms, tools and other tech solutions for the marketing communications world, for example, point of sales systems, custom video delivery systems, websites and online training systems.

"Our Board was very impressed with both of these agencies," said Bob Morrison, ICOM chairman and CEO, Morrison, Atlanta, USA. "BrandJuice's strategic thinking, its ability to work as a lead agency and especially for multinational brands will be invaluable to our network. As for Imagemakers, it's rare to find one organization that has strengths in the three areas of design, user experience and custom technology. The combination makes Imagemakers unique and a great asset for our member agencies around the world."

Founded in 1999, BrandJuice has more than 20 years of experience working with a notable roster of Blue Chip companies across industries, including Coca-Cola, General Mills, Johnson & Johnson, Mars, McKesson and Procter & Gamble.

BrandJuice's innovative and proven processes are designed to help brand teams think beyond their category, exploring trends and analogs—some linear, some metaphorical, some abstract. This learning, coupled with target insights, help identify breakthrough, disruptive strategies to creatively activate brands for growth.

Imagemakers, also almost two decades old, was started by President & Creative Director Dan Holmgren soon after college. While clients have included widely recognizable names such as Champion sportswear and Kansas State University, the firm has focused more on successful entrepreneurial businesses recognized locally for great ideas. Among Imagemakers' credentials are user experience and coding work on platforms used by hundreds of community banks and credit unions throughout the U.S. as well as an IoT (Internet of Things) platform that will track hundreds of thousands of pieces of equipment.

"We are excited to join like-minded agencies worldwide who can partner with us to optimize insights, strategy and creative activation—supporting the needs of our global clients," said Andrea Stone, BrandJuice managing director. "We value the professionalism and collegiality of a peer group of agency leaders, talented people with whom we can build community, learn from and grow together."

Holmgren said he was very impressed and learned quite a lot when he was invited and attended an ICOM North America regional meeting last year. "My original interest was in networking, but with what has happened this year because of COVID-19 and turmoil in our cities, my intention has strongly shifted to learning how do I and my agency navigate this new reality, how do we advise clients through this and whatever is next. We can learn a lot from others, and we can also share insights that we have."

Ken Whyte, ICOM North America regional director and president of Canada-based Quarry, agreed with Morrison that both are unique types of agencies. "They are creating impressive work and results for their clients. Both strengthen our entire network by joining our other amazing agencies spread all across the world." Whyte as regional director welcomes these new service offerings as he aims to foster an environment of learning and sharing of best practices among the agencies and enhancing collaboration, all toward a common goal of building member agencies' businesses.