Boston-based independent agency Connelly Partners is executing an ambitious expansion plan that includes the opening of a new West coast office, the expansion of its Dublin-based digital agency Zoo Digital and the launch of new education practice. 

The new office is based in Vancouver, Canada and is being led by Nadine Cole as managing director, CP West and president of the agency’s production studio VRX Studios.  

Charter clients include business software company CloudCare and snack marketer Chiwis.  

Cole is an industry veteran who spent over 15 years at Cossette including the role of managing its western Canada and US operations. She also served at DDB Canada and Rethink Canada.  

Connelly acquired Dublin, Ireland-based Zoo Digital last year. The agency’s offering includes strategy, UX & UI, digital campaign creative, SEO, PPC, paid media, social media, data & analytics.  

Scott Savitt, a senior partner at Connelly, has been elevated to chief digital officer at the agency and is leading the formal launch of Zoo in the North American market.   

CP and Zoo have been working together the past two years to solidify its collective digital offering, landing new business and launching campaigns including work for The V Foundation for Cancer Research, Gorton’s Seafood, The Public Health Institute, Ignite Reading and others.     

Zoo also has its own roster of clients including Burger King and Hansard Global, and Irish brands like Electric Ireland, Tirlán’s MyMilkMan.ie, the National Lottery and The Abbey Theatre.  

“Building from the success of CP and ZOO’s partnership over the past two years, we’re focusing on growth in North America,” said Savitt. “The complexity of marketing in today’s world requires agencies to provide end-to-end solutions. That’s what the convergence of ZOO and CP is about. We excel in data-driven digital marketing across all channels using sophisticated customer research and analytics to inform all our strategies.”  

The new education practice (CP Education) is led by Gene Begin, former chief marketing executive of Wheaton College in Massachusetts. It works with colleges and universities, educational organizations and nonprofits, and education technology companies. Clients include Northeastern University and the University of Limerick.   

The education practice is integrated within CP’s full-service offering across strategy, creative, social, media, influencer, digital and analytics.  

Begin has a relationship with the agency that goes back more than a decade when his team selected CP in a search for a new agency for his then-employer, Babson College.  

The expansion efforts follow the launch of a healthcare practice in 2021 and recent new business wins including Carhartt, Cure Childhood Cancer and furnishings and décor company Grandin Road.  

The agency now has 150 staffers across its Boston, Dublin and Vancouver locations.