Integrated agency Once Upon A Time (OUAT) has today acquired brand activation and shopper marketing agency Toucan, for an undisclosed sum.

Toucan has provided award winning shopper and promotional marketing campaigns for clients since 1991 and joins the OUAT stable as the fifth acquisition after MJ Media in September.

The acquisition of Toucan further supports OUAT’s strategy to offer independent, fully integrated solutions for clients, which include media, advertising, digital, shopper marketing and production.

The directors believe that Toucan’s strategic approach to delivering brand activations and promotional and shopper campaigns will further enhance the group’s offerings to clients. Toucan’s clients include Peperami, Allied Bakeries, Ocean Spray and Unilever.

OUAT CEO Joe Garton comments: “Toucan has a great heritage in strategic shopper marketing and Brand Activation which will enhance our current offering. Increasingly, clients seek a combination of digital (Screen) and shopper (in-store) solutions and Toucan’s skills in these areas are exceptional and will add greatly to fulfill our clients’ demands.”

Toucan Founding Director, Mike Benns, adds: “The culture of OUAT is perfectly aligned to that of Toucan which makes joining the group extremely exciting. We have been working together for some time now so this formalises what already is a great partnership and brings a wide range of marketing services under one roof.”

Toucan is a member of UK marketing industry trade body The Institute of Promotional Marketing and a multi-IPM Award winner.

OUAT was founded in 2014 by Joe Garton and Diane Charlton, who were the founders of Chemistry, one of the largest independent marketing agencies in the UK, which they sold to Publicis Group for £14.5m in 2011.

The picture shows (left to right): Gary Rapps, Founding Director, Toucan; Joe Garton, CEO, OUAT; Rob Ward, Strategy Director, OUAT; Mike Benns, Founding Director, Toucan.

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