The J. Walter Thompson Company and Group SJR, a unit of Hill+Knowlton Strategies, have launched content marketing unit Colloquial. The joint venture brings together the creative talent of J. Walter Thompson with the publishing and audience development experience of Group SJR.
Colloquial will build publishing environments for brands, specializing in content that builds loyalty and audience over time – short articles, infographics and visual stories for brands that are quickly conceived, made and shared. It will embody the intersection of advertising, publishing and public relations, with storytelling and creativity at its core.
“The launch of Colloquial is another piece of our strategy to continue building on J. Walter Thompson Company’s many assets to create solutions that build enduring and winning brands, while driving business growth for our clients. Content is the new currency. Colloquial will deliver both authentic narratives and the creative visual storytelling that brands are demanding and consumers want,” commented Gustavo Martinez, Global Chairman and CEO, J. Walter Thompson Company.
Alexander Jutkowitz, Managing Partner at Group SJR, will serve as Colloquial’s CEO. In addition, Colloquial will be led by William Sind, Editorial Lead; Jinal Shah, Strategy Lead; and Gillian Melrose, Marketing Lead.
“Successful brands innovate. Not only is that what J. Walter Thompson and Group SJR are doing with the creation of Colloquial, but it’s what we’re going to do for our clients — ensuring they have the ability to continuously reach targeted, ‘always on’ audiences with an array of engaging, high quality content that moves them,” said Mr Jutkowitz.
“With the creative and strategic rigor of J. Walter Thompson, the creation of our digital agency network Mirum and now the launch of Colloquial, the J. Walter Thompson Company offers the full spectrum of content marketing to clients,” said Stefano Zunino, Head of Digital Worldwide, J. Walter Thompson Company. “We’re fortunate to have such great talent from across the advertising, public relations and publishing spaces, and know they’ll make a formidable team.”
While the new content marketing arm will function from established markets like US, Australia, Brazil, Mexico and the UK, both J. Walter Thompson and Hill + Knowlton Strategies have their presence in the Middle East & North Africa region.
