Dive Brief:

• Agency network Stagwell has acquired marketing and design studio Tinsel Experiential Design, according to a release from the companies.
• Tinsel will maintain its distinct brand within the holding company, and its trio of founders will remain in place, according to the release.
• Tinsel’s clients include Sony Music Entertainment, GitHub, Pfizer and Uber. The agency will complement Stagwell’s Team Enterprises with creative resources and production capabilities, including environmental design, 3D rendering and staging conferences and corporate events.

Dive Insight:

With the pandemic hangover fading, in-person events and experiential marketing are making a return, and Stagwell’s purchase of Tinsel Experiential Design is an attempt to capitalize on that resurgence. The focus on experiential and immersive experiences has also seen the company make recent investments in ARound, its augmented reality platform for large-scale venues. At Cannes Lion this year, it organized Sport Beach, a hub and an activation dedicated to the cultural power of sports.

“With Tinsel, Stagwell is all-in on expanding experiential offerings to clients,” said Dan Gregory, CEO of Team Enterprises, in a statement.

Tinsel will become a part of Stagwell’s Constellation Network, which include agencies 72andSunny, Anomaly, and Colle + McVoy, and The Harris Poll. Tinsel was founded in 2011 in Brooklyn by Liz Castelli, Adette C. Contreras and Erica Taylor Haskins. The three executives will remain in leadership roles within the agency, reporting to Constellation Network Chair Justin Lewis. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. 

Stagwell showed off its experiential vision last December, using its ARound Stadium app to create a live augmented reality experience for the Los Angeles Rams at their SoFi stadium. The app allowed fans to interact with each other and the stadium through 3D experiences and mini-games.

Stagwell in May announced revenue of $622 million in Q1 2023, a decrease of 3% year-over-year, but expects to return to double-digit growth in later quarters this year due to new business wins within and after the close of Q1, per its earnings report.