Amplify joins Common Interest’s mission to build brands in popular culture
Amplify, the global creative agency specialising in experience, entertainment and culture, has joined culture-first collective Common Interest, founded by former Havas AUNZ chair, One Green Bean and Host agency founder Anthony Freedman.
Common Interest has acquired an initial 51% stake in Amplify, with a commitment to purchase the remaining 49% over the next five years. As part of the deal, Amplify’s global leadership team will become partners and equity holders in Common Interest.
Established in 2007 and led by Chair Anton Mercier and Global CEO Jonathan Emmins, Amplify is best known for creating brand worlds, campaigns and experiences that traverse channels and drive business transformation through the power of culture. It has offices in London, Sydney, LA, Paris and New York, working with clients including Lego, Google, Netflix, PlayStation, Samsung and Nike. Amplify also has two audience specialist agencies: Seed whose focus is on youth and Gen Z, and business experience specialists Wonder. Mercier and Emmins will continue to lead the business, alongside the global and local leadership teams, including those of Seed and Wonder.
Common Interest, a communications and entertainment group focused on connecting brands and audiences through popular culture, was founded in September 2023 by former Havas AUNZ chair, One Green Bean and Host agency founder Anthony Freedman. Headquartered in London, it is already home to companies including global brand transformation and growth consultancy TwentyFirstCenturyBrand; design, motion and innovation studio Otherway and CultureLab, the group’s first-of-its-kind AI cultural intelligence platform.
Amplify’s partnership with Common Interest will help clients benefit from culturally-led collaborations across a collective of best-in-class specialists. Before joining Common Interest, businesses within the group already shared many existing clients. In advance of finalising the partnership, Amplify had begun collaborating with 21CB and Otherway on current and new opportunities.
Says Anthony Freedman (above right), Founder and CEO of Common Interest: “It’s increasingly accepted that culturally relevant brands materially outperform, and Common Interest was created to help businesses unlock this competitive advantage by connecting with audiences in popular culture. Our position as the world’s first group focused on building brands in popular culture is supercharged with the addition of Amplify which brings its proven track record for delivering world-building ideas that blur the line between brand, entertainment, tech and modern media, both globally and locally.”
Adds Jonathan Emmins (above left), Founder and Global CEO at Amplify: “As audiences become more fragmented and culture becomes increasingly fluid, modern brands need a different type of creative expertise. One that better reflects the seamless expectations of their consumers. In this evolving world, audiences and brands alike are looking for a new type of creative agency.
“Common Interest is the natural home for Amplify, sharing this belief, the collaborative spirit and, above all, a commitment to creativity and culture. That is why we decided to both ‘partner’ and ‘become partners’. Amplify has always pioneered non-traditional models of story-telling and was one of the first in the agencies dedicated to culture. Now, through our partnership with Common Interest, we are even better placed to help clients navigate the exciting new opportunities to connect with today’s and tomorrow’s audiences.”