The Human Side of Agency Acquisition: RocketMill & PMG's Success Story on Happy Teams
From our latest agency leadership podcast episode: Digital marketing agencies RocketMill and PMG reveal how their merger strengthened organisational culture and team retention, moving beyond traditional ESG principles and riding the Gartner Hype Cycle of acquisition excitement.
When RocketMill transitioned from an employee-owned trust to joining global agency PMG, they achieved something remarkable, improved employee retention, even after team members received their acquisition payouts.
"We didn't need to do a deal we wanted to, so it wasn't a deal born out of necessity," says Tom. "We were clear with the team that it was about opportunity creation and career enabling, but the notion of career headroom drove the decision."
"For the first six months, I'm not sure we lost anyone." Tom explains. "I think that curiosity played a large part in it. I think an understanding of the shared vision played a large part in it. And I think the fact that genuinely people could see that if you look at the portfolio of clients that PMG have, they represent some of the most iconic brands in the world."
PMG demonstrated their company culture commitment through strategic change management: "The head of people within PMG moved to London for four or five months with her family to be here on the ground with our team, to be with our people so that they understood. To ensure that they were heard, to ensure cultural sensitivity - it was just a very human thing to do."
Discover more insights about successful agency acquisitions on the Happy Teams podcast.
Happy Teams
Happy Teams examines how organisations create effective company culture. Each episode explores team management, remote work, and employee engagement through discussions with business leaders.
We talk with founders about their remote leadership strategies and workplace wellbeing in modern settings. Our guests share insights on effective remote communication and team productivity - including what helps with employee retention and what doesn’t.
David and Bachir from Prodigi sit down with guests who’ve mastered remote team management and hybrid work models. They discuss building remote team culture, maintaining positive work environments, and developing employee wellbeing programs that deliver results.
Our guests share examples from their experiences - including the missteps and breakthroughs. They explain their approaches to virtual company culture that works across all settings.
Listen in as we learn from leaders who’ve developed practical ways to help their teams stay, perform and succeed.
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