Both Baas and Oona have sold their shares to the newly formed company 'Oona/Baas Group'.
The communication agencies Baas and Oona are joining forces under the new name 'Oona/Baas', with the ambition of becoming the strongest communication agency in the Benelux.
PR and communication agency Baas, founded in 2011 in the Netherlands, employs around 25 people, while Oona, established in 2005 in Belgium, has a team of about 55. Both agencies have been active in the Netherlands and Belgium for several years. The newly formed Oona/Baas now boasts a combined client portfolio that includes brands such as Airbnb, Nespresso, Zalando, and Auping.
Share distribution
The merged agency, with a total of 80 employees, will be led by Werner de Smet and Birgit Hubloux (Oona) alongside Bas Ouweneel and Mirjam van Kleef (Baas). Together, they report an annual turnover of 20 million euros. In the new structure, Oona holds 70 percent of the shares, while Baas retains 30%.
A changing market
"The communications market has undergone significant transformations in recent years. The rise of niche online communications and creator-driven content has overtaken traditional campaigns. Consumers seek genuine connections, and brands can only respond successfully with agencies that truly understand how these connections are formed", states a press release.
Unsurprisingly, Oona/Baas sees itself playing a key role in this evolving landscape. The agency now operates from offices in Antwerp and the A’dam Tower in Amsterdam.
A logical step
Mirjam van Kleef, founder of Baas, calls the merger a "logical step." "Oona sees an opportunity to further develop the Dutch market, while Baas shares the same ambitions in Belgium. We are now creating a Benelux team where one plus one truly equals three."
Source: Adformatie.nl
