TORONTO: MSLGroup has acquired North Strategic, a Toronto-based firm focused on consumer marketing, brand strategy, and corporate communications.
North Strategic will be a part of Publicis Communications, one of holding company Publicis Groupe’s four "solution hubs" created late last year.
North Strategic has offices in Toronto, Montreal, and Calgary. The deal will triple MSLGroup’s presence in the country and add Calgary to the markets it operates in, the firm said in a release.
The deal also includes North Strategic’s online video marketplace and content wing, Notch Video. Both North Strategic and Notch Video will retain their brands.
Mia Pearson, who founded North Strategic in 2011 with Justin Creally, will serve as CEO of Canada for the MSLGroup companies operating in the market, reporting to Guillaume Herbette, global CEO of the agency. Gayla Brock-Woodland will continue to serve as president of MSL Canada, reporting to Pearson.
North Strategic’s client roster includes Samsung, Tim Hortons, Twitter, and Airbnb.
In June, MSLGroup acquired Chinese agency Have Faith in Your Brand and named founder Faith Brewitt as CEO for Greater China. It also bought Venus Communications, based in Vietnam, in March.
