Independent marketing network Hardie Grant Media has acquired creative communications agency Keep Left which has grown over the past two decades from a “Melbourne-based PR shop” to become a fully integrated communications agency with offices in two states.
Keep Left, founded by Caroline Catterall in 2001, blends PR and creative to deliver earned-led campaigns across financial services, technology, sustainability, property, NFP and the public sector.
The agency, which has offices in Melbourne and Sydney, will join the Hardie Grant Media stable which comprises specialist agencies such as digital media company Reload Media, content agency Heads & Tales, PR and influencer agency Tide Communications and production studio Sherpa.
The deal is the latest consolidation for the marketing sector following Merchantwise Group acquiring Jaywing and Frank Digital last week in the Melbourne-based company’s largest deal to date.
Hardie Grant Media has 130 staff in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane and sits within the Hardie Grant Group, which includes publishing arm and venture studio HGX.
Keep Left, which has a client list that includes Australia Post, ANZ, Guide Dogs, Experian, Great Southern Bank, Charter Hall and St Vincent de Paul, will continue to operate under its own brand and leadership team following the acquisition.
All of the agency’s staff will join Hardie Grant Media, including executive creative director Blair Kimber and head of creative and content Johanna Murray.
Catterall and business partner Gillian Gosling, who joined in 2009 and became a shareholder in 2015, will continue to lead the agency as managing director and head of PR, respectively.
“It’s been an incredible journey building Keep Left into the agency it is today,” says Catterall.
“Gill and I are so proud of the team, the work, and the client partnerships we’ve nurtured over the years.
“Joining Hardie Grant marks an exciting new chapter for us as a levelled-up Indie. For our clients, it will mean access to even more integrated thinking, specialist capabilities and creativity – which will help us reach audiences in new and innovative ways.
“For our team, it brings new colleagues, new growth opportunities, and the chance to collaborate across a broader national network. Most importantly, we’re joining a group that genuinely values its people and culture. We’re energised by what’s ahead.”
The acquisition includes Keep Left’s proprietary earned media evaluation tool, the Impact Score, which was recently updated with OpenAI to automate coverage logging and is now available by subscription to agencies and in-house teams across Australia and worldwide.
"Caroline and Gill have built a brilliant agency with a clear point of view, a strong team and deep client relationships," says Craig Somerville, managing director of Hardie Grant Media.
"Keep Left’s earned-first approach and creative thinking make it a great fit for our group. We’re excited to welcome them and look forward to what’s next.”
Nick Hardie-Grant, the CEO of Hardie Grant, says his team has "long admired Keep Left and its reputation for delivering meaningful work".
“In addition to the impressive team, the Impact Score is a genuinely exciting product with huge potential and a real point of difference for our agencies," says Grant.
"With the support of the broader business and continued investment we’re looking forward to helping it reach its full potential.”
The Keep Left team will move into Hardie Grant’s offices in Melbourne and Sydney with access to a broader network of specialist marketing capabilities and collaboration opportunities across the group.
Financial details of the acquisition have not been disclosed.
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