Publicis Groupe Buys Design Firm Turner Duckworth for Leo Burnett Network

Publicis Group is acquiring Turner Duckworth, a design agency known for its designs for Coca-Cola, and placing it in the Leo Burnett network. The move comes as as the agency and holding company aim to beef up their design offerings, particularly in relation to packaging and shopper marketing. Turner Duckworth will keep its name and management team and operate as a separate shop underneath the Leo Burnett network. It's believed that there are no client conflicts, and the two have previously collaborated on Coca-Cola and Samsung. Turner Duckworth has about 70 employees in two offices -- San Francisco and London -- though the agency does have its sights set on expansion. The acquisition illustrates the "importance Leo Burnett places on the marriage of design and creative advertising to deliver effective and meaningful communications programs for blue chip clients," Publicis said in a statement. Turner Duckworth will continue to collaborate with clients' agencies, it added. The terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Turner Duckworth, which was founded in 1992, began working with Coca-Cola in 2006. Projects included the Diet Coke packaging design that was introduced widely in 2012. In 2008, Turner Duckworth and Coca-Cola won the inaugural Cannes Design Lion Grand Prix for a refresh of Coke's visual identity and packaging. The firm also won a 2009 Grammy for its design for Metallica's album Death Magnetic. Other clients have included British supermarket Waitrose, Amazon, Visa, Miller, Oreo, Jacobs, Google and The Glenlivets. Turner Duckworth joint CEO and chief creative officers Bruce Duckworth and David Turner said in the Publicis statement that they and Leo Burnett agree on the growing importance of design and the need for a "strong design voice on a global scale." Clients want "seamless creativity" from agencies, they said.

Publicis Groupe Buys Design Firm Turner Duckworth for Leo Burnett Network

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