Ingram expands with buy-out of Brand Company

UK-based brand management and consultancy group Ingram, headed by founder of CIA Media, Chris Ingram, has acquired Hong Kong's The Brand Company.

The acquisition will see The Brand Company rebranded as The Ingram Brand Company, according to Peter Wilken, partner of The Brand Company. The Ingram network is working to build 'hubs of excellence', having bought New York-based marketing strategy and new product consultancy Consumer Dynamics last August. James Stuart, partner of The Brand Company, said: "The plan is to keep the skills in each centre quite distinct and, over time, infuse these skills into other operations." According to Stuart, there will be no changes to staff at the company's Hong Kong office, which has been operating since 2002. Its client portfolio includes SmarTone-Vodafone, Maxim's, AIA, Sun Hung Kai Properties, and Lane Crawford. Ingram works with British Airways, Orange, Mercedes Benz and the UK Treasury, while Consumer Dynamics lists Gillette, Johnson & Johnson, Starbucks and Diageo as clients. "The shift of brand ownership from marketing directors to the CEO level has created a need for the services we provide. In terms of philosophy, Ingram was a perfect fit for us," Stuart added.