Common Interest acquires Amplify

Amplify, the global creative agency specialising in experience, entertainment and culture has joined culture-first collective Common Interest.

Common Interest has acquired an initial 51% stake in Amplify, with a commitment to purchase the remaining 49% over the next five years. As part of the deal, Amplify’s global leadership team will become partners and equity holders in Common Interest.

Amplify also has two audience specialist agencies: Seed whose focus is on youth and Gen Z, and business experience specialists Wonder. Mercier and Emmins will continue to lead the business, alongside the global and local leadership teams, including those of Seed and Wonder.

Common Interest, a communications and entertainment group focused on connecting brands and audiences through popular culture, was founded in September 2023 by former Havas AUNZ chair, ‘One Green Bean’ and ‘Host’ agency founder, Anthony Freedman. Headquartered in London, the new group is already home to companies including global brand transformation and growth consultancy TwentyFirstCenturyBrand; design, motion and innovation studio Otherway and CultureLab, the group’s first-of-its-kind AI cultural intelligence platform.

To further encourage collaboration and build a connected culture, Common Interest will be taking a floor in Amplify’s London office in May 2025, which will become the home for the group team, alongside several Common Interest companies. CultureLab has already been in the Amplify HQ since early March.

Anthony Freedman, Founder and CEO of Common Interest, said: “It’s increasingly accepted that culturally relevant brands materially outperform, and Common Interest was created to help businesses unlock this competitive advantage by connecting with audiences in popular culture. Our position as the world’s first group focused on building brands in popular culture is supercharged with the addition of Amplify which brings its proven track record for delivering worldbuilding ideas that blur the line between brand, entertainment, tech and modern media, both globally and locally.”

Jonathan Emmins, Founder and Global CEO at Amplify, added: “As audiences become more fragmented and culture becomes increasingly fluid, modern brands need a different type of creative expertise. One that better reflects the seamless expectations of their consumers. In this evolving world, audiences and brands alike are looking for a new type of creative agency.

“Common Interest is the natural home for Amplify, sharing this belief, the collaborative spirit and, above all, a commitment to creativity and culture. That is why we decided to both ‘partner’ and ‘become partners’. Amplify has always pioneered non-traditional models of story-telling and was one of the first in the agencies dedicated to culture. Now, through our partnership with Common Interest, we are even better placed to help clients navigate the exciting new opportunities to connect with today’s and tomorrow’s audiences.”