Specialist creative agency Aura Ads and performance marketing agency for global ecommerce BARK have announced a strategic merger.
With an already established client roster that includes Hello Fresh, Wild, Antler and Huel, the merger brings together Aura Ads’ performance-driven creative and content production with BARK’s data-led paid media, predictive strategy and performance expertise, the firms said.
The merger will see both agencies operate under the newly formed ‘Consumed Group’, where Cardiff-based Aura Ads and BARK will sit alongside each other as sister brands. The group will be led by three co-founders; Ryan Walton, founder and CEO of Aura Ads, and Daniel Watts and Tom Lambert, co-founders of BARK. The structure has been established to enhance collaboration and formalise integration, while allowing each agency to retain its specialist focus and distinct brand identity, the firms said.
“Creative should not exist in a vacuum,” said Ryan Walton, Founder of Aura Ads.
“By integrating directly with BARK’s data-driven strategy team, we can make smarter creative decisions faster, with a deeper understanding of how creative drives results, for different audiences across a variety of channels.”
Daniel Watts, co-founder of BARK, said:
“Unlocking creative at scale is one of the biggest challenges D2C brands face. Partnering with Aura Ads allows us to solve that by tightly connecting creative and media from day one, helping our clients test faster, learn quicker, and compound growth.”
Tom Lambert, co-founder of BARK, said:
“By bringing creative and performance marketing under one roof, we’ve closed the gap between ideas and results, giving brands the ability to test and iterate on their ad creative faster and drive more incremental value from their digital spend.”
Retaining all of the current team, Aura Ads’ UK based staff will consolidate into BARK’s London office as a shared hub, whilst maintaining a globally distributed workforce, with planned hires in early 2026. A dedicated New York office is scheduled for 2026, leveraging Aura Ads’ existing US presence to accelerate BARK’s expansion. Progress is already underway, with joint pitches in motion and a growing US pipeline.
The group will initially focus on clients across the US and the UK, with further expansion planned across Europe.
