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Superunion Worldwide Limited
Superunion
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryCommunications
PredecessorsBrand Union, The Partners, Lambie-Nairn, Addison and VBAT
DefunctApril 2023 (2023-04)
FateMerged with Design Bridge
SuccessorDesign Bridge and Partners
HeadquartersLondon, England
ProductsConsultancy
Number of employees
500
ParentWPP
Websitewww.superunion.com

Superunion, known as Superunion Worldwide Limited legally,[1] was a global brand and design consultancy, headquartered in London. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of WPP. Superunion was formed after five agencies merged in January 2018,[2] and employs 500 people across 16 offices.[3]

In 2023, Superunion merged with Design Bridge to create Design Bridge and Partners.[4]

History

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In May 1976, graphic designers Terry Tyrrell and Sam Sampson formed Sampson Tyrrell. The catalyst for this was an opportunity given to them by an advertising agency to help with the corporate identity of British Gas. They worked for clients including Kodak, Lowrey, London Docklands Development Corporation and Legal & General.[5] The business grew slowly and by 1984 had grown to 10 employees working across a broad range of assignments, focusing mainly on graphic design projects. In 1984, Dave Allen joined and helped accelerate growth with assignments from Citizen, Mazda and Castrol.[5] In 1986, Sampson Tyrrell was acquired by the WPP. This resulted in a period of rapid growth and by 1991 the company employed over 100 people in London.

In 1992, Brand Union and Robinson Lambie-Nairn partnered as a cross-platform entity that could allow areas of design beyond their branding and broadcast heritage to work together.[6] Robinson Lambie-Nairn was first formed in 1976 by Colin Robinson and Martin Lambie-Nairn. During the same year, Sampson and Allen led the formation of Enterprise identity Group with Jim Johnson of Anspach Grossman Portugal, Flavio Gomez of Sidjakov Berman Gomez, and Miles Young of Ogilvy & Mather in Asia who owned a design network based in Hong Kong and Taiwan called Artistree. This was in response to the globalisation of international brands, particularly in Asia. The founding businesses were transitioned into a new brand, Enterprise IG, which was launched in 1996. Allen and Johnson became Joint CEOs of the newly formed business.[7]

The business grew organically and by acquisition. This began in 1999 when it became the holding company for Lambie-Nairn & Company.[8] It acquired Horniak and Canny in Australia,[9] Springham Anderson in Singapore,[10] Brindfors Design in Stockholm, Winderlich design in Hamburg and in 2001 Brown KSDP (part of the Tempus acquisition made by WPP) decided to join Enterprise IG - adding offices in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Amsterdam and Paris. This took Enterprise IG to over $100m revenue, 19 offices, and over 700 employees. That year Enterprise IG topped the Design Week 100 league table.[11] In July 2001, Enterprise IG acquired The Identity Business, Ireland's leading brand and identity consultancy.[12] The Enterprise IG global network expanded with 21 regional offices in 18 markets and formally became known as Brand Union in October 2007.[13] In 2008, co-founder Martin Lambie-Nairn left Lambie-Nairn & Company.[14]

In 2018, Brand Union, The Partners, Lambie-Nairn, Addison, and VBAT merged to create the agency, Superunion.[2] In 2022, WPP announced to merge Superunion with Design Bridge to create Design Bridge and Partners.[15] It officially merged in April 2023.[4]

Offices

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Superunion has 16 offices around the world:[16]

References

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  1. ^ "DESIGN BRIDGE AND PARTNERS WORLDWIDE LIMITED overview - Find and update company information - GOV.UK". find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
  2. ^ a b Dawood, Sarah. "Brand Union, Lambie-Nairn and The Partners become Superunion in huge WPP merger". Design Week. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  3. ^ Brand Union - About Us Archived February 9, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ a b "WPP design powerhouse officially launches as Design Bridge and Partners | News". Campaign Asia. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  5. ^ a b "Tributes paid to Sam Sampson". Design Week. 2 March 2010.
  6. ^ "Enterprise's move to revive an old name could set a trend. -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia". Archived from the original on 7 November 2009. Retrieved 17 August 2010.
  7. ^ "Sampson Tyrrell Enterprise". Design Week. 27 March 1998.
  8. ^ "WPP". Archived from the original on 8 December 2010. Retrieved 17 August 2010.
  9. ^ Collins, Luke (14 March 2000). "Partnership set to give Enterprise IG the lead". Australian Financial Review.
  10. ^ "WPP Units' Deal Will Expand Consulting on Brands in Asia". Wall Street Journal. 14 March 2000.
  11. ^ "Design boosts WPP profit margin". Design Week. 25 February 2000.
  12. ^ "Enterprise IG acquires The Identity Business". Archived from the original on 17 February 2012. Retrieved 14 June 2019.
  13. ^ LogoLounge - ENTERPRISE IG IS NOW THE BRAND UNION Archived June 29, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  14. ^ "Lambie-Nairn unveils Creative Britain conference design". www.campaignlive.co.uk.
  15. ^ "WPP mergers design shops into Design Bridge and Partners". www.adage.com.
  16. ^ "Offices of Superunion". Superunion.
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