The joint venture is believed to be the first of its kind between an agency and a blogging outfit, and will see a 'Shiny Red' office staffed by a mixture of Red and Shiny employees based in Red's Soho HQ.

Two-year-old Shiny has more than 25 sites covering fashion, sport and media, which are read by more than 1.4 million users. Its consumer tech sites Tech Digest and Shiny Shiny have become two of the most influential for product reviews, while its ‘Who ate all the bratwurst?' World Cup blog was the first to be carried on mobile-phone networks.

Shiny director Ashley Norris said the partnership came about after his firm did a "PR agency tour" at the beginning of the year.

"The crucial element to the deal is that Shiny Media retains complete editorial independence," Norris said.

The new consultancy would be offering its services to all companies – not just Red clients, he added.

Red CEO Mike Morgan said Shiny Media had a "proven record as a creative force in new media".