Member Article

Squad duo toast eight years at creative management consultancy

The founders of Manchester’s Squad are toasting eight years as northern pioneers of a new hybrid management consultancy and creative agency approach that is now reshaping the sector.

Founded in 2008, Squad is run by two partners, Rob Gray and David Barraclough, who established the business to provide creative support more akin to management consultancy, a trend exemplified by Accenture’s high profile acquisition of advertising agency Karmarama in 2016.

Squad’s approach is reflected in work for a range of recent client appointments, including Boutinot, BPP, First Ark, Halewood International, Hansgrohe, Vestey Holdings and Umbro.

Squad is also working with Manchester’s family-run brewery, JW Lees, which operates pubs and hotels in the region.

Squad have been working with the board to define brand vision and translate it across all operational areas of the business – from people and pub design, to menu content and marketing - providing advice that is more akin to a management consultancy.

Squad reports to William Lees-Jones, managing director of JW Lees, who said: “Squad provide us with consumer insight and expertise that goes well beyond JW Lees’ marketing requirements and helps to form and direct our strategy for the future of the business.

“The services that businesses require from creative agencies have changed dramatically in recent years and we are delighted to be able to count on Squad’s support to act as a catalyst in defining our strategy as well as delivering the execution of creative work.”

Based in Waulk Mill, Ancoats, and working with a mix of full-time and freelance staff, Squad represents the perfect meeting of minds. Rob Gray previously worked in brand planning at TBWA\Manchester, while creative lead David Barraclough worked at Cheetham Bell in Manchester, establishing a specialist branding division following its merger with JWT.

Other clients include Astra Zeneca, Brother, the Environment Agency, Information Commissioner’s Office, ZSL London Zoo, PZ Cussons, Silentnight, Tebay Services, ACCA, Sage, Martin Moore, Batiste, Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair, Office of Fair Trading and Vodafone. Rob Gray said: “Our original passion for the industry came from the ability of advertising agencies to pit their strategic and creative brainpower against their client’s biggest, thorniest business problems.

“The response of most traditional agencies to the digital revolution has been to expand into an increasingly broad array of services. They have become much more focused on the tactical problems rather than the strategic ones. Squad came out of our desire to plot a different path. “With everything that’s happening with the Northern Powerhouse it’s an exciting time for the city and we’re keen to play our part.”

David Barraclough added: “Businesses like ours are more common in London, so there’s a real opportunity for our proposition in the north. Manchester has a history of some fantastic creative businesses, and with projects like MediaCityUK there’s never been a more exciting time for the industry in the city. There’s a huge opportunity to take creativity into the boardroom and pit it against complex business problems.”

Squad is now focusing on building its team for the future. Benj Smith recently joined the team as the company’s first graduate trainee and a placement programme has been started with the University of Central Lancashire to ensure a pipeline of creative talent.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Simon Donohue .