Announcing the Third Agency Acquisition by Common Thread, the Newly Formed Independent Agency Group: Birmingham-based Brand and Creative Agency, Notepad
London, UK, March 5th, 2025 – There’s a new force in the agency world. Common Thread, the next-generation independent agency group founded by multi-award-winning creative strategist and agency founder Gellan Watt and experienced agency leader Darren Low, announces its third acquisition: Birmingham-based brand and creative agency Notepad.
This acquisition marks a significant milestone for the newly formed group. It also signals the highly anticipated return of Gellan Watt to the agency world—nine years after exiting Emerge Group – which he led with his partners before successfully exiting at c. £60 million revenue.
Common Thread’s mission is clear: build a collaborative network where agencies thrive together, retain their independence, and deliver more powerful results for their clients.
Notepad joins Pull, the multi Gold Transform Award-winning agency specialising in Health, Beauty, and Personal Care, and Ideas + Outcomes (formerly Logic+Magic, formed by merging Low+Behold and FKC London). A fourth agency—Ideally, a digital product studio—is scheduled to launch within two weeks.
The group currently creates and delivers strategic brand and creative campaigns for high-profile clients including Just Eat, Superdrug, Wilkinson Sword, Glenmorangie, Save the Children International, YMCA, Eakin Healthcare, IQVIA, Schwarzkopf, and Hawaiian Tropic.
Darren Low, Co-Founder and Group CEO of Common Thread, said:
“Acquiring Notepad accelerates our vision to build a collaborative network of genuinely independent, high-performing creative agencies. Having known Naeem for the last six years, we have a great history and it feels a very natural partnership. Naeem and the Notepad team bring exactly the boldness, clarity, and energy we look for. With Gellan’s return to the agency world, this acquisition clearly signals our ambition: we’re reshaping how independent agencies compete, collaborate, and succeed.”
Notepad, founded in 2017, has built a strong reputation for positioning ambitious brands clearly as category leaders. Their standout campaigns include award-winning work for clients such as WWF, Glenmorangie, WR Partners, Mailbox, and Iomart.
The agency will retain its leadership team and operational independence. Founder Naeem will remain a shareholder partner, benefiting from Common Thread’s collaborative network, strategic resources, and growth opportunities.
Naeem said:
“From day one, my vision for Notepad has always been to build a greenhouse for the UK’s very best branding talent. Common Thread’s proposition of building teams of expert teams really aligned with our approach at Notepad, and it’s super exciting to be part of something bigger which will allow us to take on bigger creative challenges, and give our clients access to genuine expert teams across all areas of marketing and design. What Darren and Gellan are building is an agency fit for the future and we’re stoked to be part of that.”
Gellan Watt, Co-Founder, Group Chair and Creative Chief of Common Thread, said:
“This is a time of significant change for the agency world. It’s exciting. Not just because of AI, automation and emerging technologies. But oversupply, and over reliance on the wrong data. Creativity will always be the most powerful and profitable competitive advantage to unleash a businesses full potential.
We’re building a group of agencies that can answer the biggest challenges in business today. We’re boldly exploring new ways of partnering with our clients. Bringing talent back to the boardroom. Betting on big ideas, without losing the character of the independent agency - where the work, the craft and the results matters most.”
With further acquisitions and launches planned, Common Thread continues actively seeking ambitious agencies aligned with its collaborative mission.
About Common Thread
Common Thread is a next-generation independent agency group dedicated to empowering creative agencies. Through collaboration, shared resources, and strategic support, the group is redefining how independent agencies achieve standout results.
About Notepad
Notepad is an award-winning creative agency specialising in strategic branding, storytelling, and impactful marketing campaigns. Known for bold ideas and clear positioning, Notepad helps ambitious brands such as Glenmorangie, WWF, iomart, Whisk, and Buyapowa become market leaders.
About Pull
Pull is a multi-award-winning brand agency, specialising in creating transformative brands and campaigns for clients in Health, Beauty, and Personal Care. Pull’s strategic approach has delivered measurable results for leading global brands including Schwarzkopf, Wilkinson Sword, Hawaiian Tropic, and Nutriburst.
About Ideas + Outcomes
Ideas + Outcomes (formerly Logic+Magic) is a creative agency focused on strategic brand storytelling and compelling integrated campaigns. With deep expertise in retail and consumer brands, healthcare, and not-for-profit sectors, Ideas + Outcomes delivers creative campaigns that drive tangible results for brands such as Just Eat, IQVIA, Save the Children International, Eakin Healthcare, and YMCA.
Media Contact:
Darren Low
0330 551 9390