Duke & Grace becomes part of Springbok
Today the Ghent digital agency Duke & Grace became part of Springbok, the brandtech agency for sustainable growth. Together with the recently acquired B Corp agency Make Sense, Springbok is creating a strong hub in Ghent that seamlessly cooperates with the other Springbok agencies spread over Belgium and the Netherlands. There’s now a total of 400 people working where branding and tech meet, helping brands have a positive impact on people and society.
As one of the first internet pioneers in Belgium, Duke & Grace has always had a clear vision. Our work highlights our belief that combining digital technology, data, and creativity leads to the best brand experiences. We emerged from Netlash, later known as communication agency Wijs. We were joined by creative agency Gents, to enable more interactive communication that generates progress for people, brands, and society. We work for internationally-renowned brands, such as Barco and Netflix, as well as for domestic ones like Foodbag and Goed. In time, Springbok will become the name on our front door.
Ghent, Belgium, is establishing itself as a leading technology centre in Europe. It is gaining recognition for its advancements in the bio-technology and clean-technology industries, with a number of cutting-edge companies operating in these fields. This, coupled with a thriving startup ecosystem and a commitment to sustainability, positions Ghent as a significant player in the European technology industry. This makes it essential for Springbok to establish a strong foothold in the city.
“Springbok is one of the strongest and fastest growing agencies in the Benelux,” according to Bart de Waele, founder of Duke & Grace. “I am especially happy for us to be joining them, as it will enable us to make an even bigger positive impact. Springbok’s vision seamlessly blends with our own; we both want sustainable growth for brands and society.” Ilse Jansoone, co-founder adds: “We have built something particularly beautiful with Duke & Grace, and I am delighted that the story will continue with Springbok. Both for the team and our customers, this feels like the right move.” CEO Geert Desager adds: “Together with Springbok, we have an even broader expertise to make a difference for our clients. That’s what I’m really looking forward to. Our people are incredibly excited to become a part of the ambitious Springbok story.”
Sammy Colson, CEO of Springbok: “The talented team at Duke & Grace has a strong reputation and a beautiful portfolio of clients. For us, this is the perfect consolidation of our position in the Belgian market. Together with Make Sense, we now have a solid base in Ghent. From this strong, leading position in our domestic market, we’ll be continuing our work on internationalising Springbok.”
From left to right: Geert Desager, Ilse Jansoone, Sammy Colson, Dirk Sabbe, Kim Verhaeghen, Bart De Waele, Valérie Herbert
To tease the launch a triggering message was projected onto several iconic buildings in Ghent. Letting the world know that Springbok and Duke&Grace are ready to take the European tech capital by storm. Check out the making of this launch campaign below.
Editorial note:
For more information, images or interview requests, please contact Nienke Lambert, Marketing Manager via nienke.lambert@dukeandgrace.com or +32 4 74 70 01 38