• by Fern Siegel , Yesterday

After 76 years, Preston Spire has morphed into Meerkat.

The name change of Minnesota’s oldest independent agency signals a break from conventional models. Instead, it creates a brand that represents the whole company. Meerkat gives the broader collective an identity — and indicates where it’s headed.

“We wanted the identity to feel as energetic, independent and a little unexpected as the name Meerkat — just not the zoo version. We leaned into how a meerkat really moves: fast, alert, chasing across the desert. The bold yellow-and-black palette gives it an immediate point of view. The oversized type and movement create a sense of speed, because we’re an agency that likes to make and experiment,” Dustin Black, Chief Creative Officer, told Agency Daily.

“The animal itself stays reserved as a mark of swagger, a secondary mark rather than a mascot. The result feels less like a traditional agency brand and more like a creative platform with a personality of its own.”

Meerkat is part of the agency’s history. It was the name of their in-house production studio, built for speed and to avoid needless layers. Now, it’s tailored to the agency's evolved approach.

“We’ve got decades in the rear view, and we’re far more interested in what’s ahead," said Jennifer Spire, Meerkat CEO. "Meerkat is a statement of ambition, to see the opportunities others miss, make work that actually matters, and build the kind of agency that takes brands into the future.”

Meerkat works with a diverse portfolio of well-known clients, including Taco John’s, Medtronic and Precision Tune Auto Care.

The industry is consolidating. Meerkat recognizes those changes, while focused on future growth. Or as Black notes: “The name's a promise to keep moving.”