DUBAI — Together Group, a global collective of creative, marketing and technology agencies and production studios, has acquired Dubai-based communications agency Frame Publicity, WWD has learned.
Frame is the 10th independent agency to join Together Group, which operates in 10 countries, with 18 studio locations and more than 600 employees.
“As a well-respected boutique agency specializing in luxury communications, Frame will be an integral partner for our existing portfolio agencies,” said Christian Kurtzke, chief executive officer of Together Group.
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Frame, which was founded by Rani Ilmi in 2018, has a client roster that includes Van Cleef & Arpels, Vacheron Constantin, Bloomingdale’s, Roksanda, Gianvito Rossi and others.
“We are thrilled to join Together Group and serve as their anchor partner for the very fast growing Middle East region,” said Ilmi.
Frame will work closely with Together Group’s other communication agency, Purple, expanding its reach to serve clients targeting the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
“Having previously collaborated with Frame on global projects, we recognize the natural synergies,” said Andrew Lister, executive vice president of Purple, which has offices in the U.S., Europe and Asia. “Frame brings an in-depth understanding of Middle Eastern culture and markets combined with a global perspective.”
Together Group began in 2017 as a curated combination of best-in-class agencies focused on luxury. “Our ambition was to build a new global player that truly understands the luxury sector,” said Kurtzke. “In contrast to many of the bigger digital-transformation players, we do not rely on outsourcing. We believe that the combination of complementary founder-led agencies and boutique studios offers a high level of creativity and innovation, entrepreneurial drive and agility.” The acquisition of Frame is part of Together Group’s expansion strategy in the Middle East, which includes the establishment of an office in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as well as the launch of Noë & Associates Middle East, a specialist agency focusing on architecture, design and built environment for luxury developers and brands.
Ilmi said the Middle Eastern luxury market is expected to double in size by 2030, to more than $30 billion. “The tremendous potential and significant growth across luxury in the market has meant our business has grown steadily each year, including through the pandemic — with trajectory running right alongside the 2030 predictions,” she said.
She added that the growth is driven mainly by the UAE and Saudi Arabia, and the region varies from market to market. “Interestingly, the demographics of the UAE and Saudi populations could not differ more. The UAE is largely expat-based with a 10/90 locals-to-expat ratio while Saudi Arabia is a huge market dominated by Saudis at 90/10 locals-to-expat. It really is like working in two entirely different geographic areas at once.”
This makes creating a unique offering catered to each market all the more pertinent. “The market here has growing demand for personalized experiences, authenticity and social responsibility,” said Ilmi. “It is driving brands to redefine their strategies and offerings to meet these evolving needs. We are excited to be able to offer our regional clients an expanded scope of services with Together Group.”