F.Y.I.

Aruga debuts partnerships and activations division, BonBon

June 2, 2022 3:27

Creative communications and content agency Aruga has established a new partnerships and activations division, BonBon.

The announcement:

Helmed by industry stalwarts Dana Brown as partnerships and engagement director and Kirsty Adams as events and activations director, BonBon will complement Aruga’s existing services across PR, marketing and communications, while enabling the agency to attract new clients seeking assistance with partnerships, events and brand activations.

“BonBon reflects the very core of Aruga – igniting the spark between audience and brand,” Aruga co-founder Adam Brunes said.

“Aruga’s success to date is anchored by our connectedness with media, the corporate sector and social and cultural changemakers.

“With long-term client relationships across several industry sectors, including business, arts and cultural; not-for-profits; leisure and retail; tourism and placemaking, our team is well-versed at identifying unique and lucrative partnership opportunities.

“As Aruga enters its fifth year of operation in 2022, it made sense to formalise our Partnerships and Activations offering and partner with two industry leaders in Dana and Kirsty to realise this opportunity,” Brunes said.

Ms Brown and Ms Adams bring unrivalled expertise to the new venture with a diverse range of skills, experience and networks from their respective fields.

Ms Brown has more than 15 years’ experience in events, partnerships and activations across the high-stakes sectors of sporting, banking, FCMG, not-for-profits, leisure and retail.

She has led strategic negotiations and partnership brokering, breathing life into highly successful campaigns for Brisbane Lions, Bank of Melbourne, PZ Cussons, Youngcare, The Star Entertainment Group and most recently as the Head of Partnerships and Engagement at Brisbane Festival.

“I have been a big supporter of Aruga from the beginning as a vibrant and innovative business that has executed so many exciting campaigns over the years – it was a no-brainer to join forces with a company and team that I respect and admire,” Brown said.

“I look forward to driving BonBon to open more doors for existing and new clients, expanding oneoff campaigns into long-term partnerships and introducing fresh ideas that brands don’t even know they want yet.”

Adams is an events and operational management mastermind who has led highly successful and memorable corporate events and consumer campaigns for Suncorp, Sleeping Duck, GC2018 Commonwealth Games, Brisbane Festival, The Smith Family and Newstead Brewing Co.

She has 15 years’ experience in the delivery of exceptional events in demanding environments, pairing her operational nous with creative solutions.

“I love making out-of-the-box ideas into reality, creating opportunities to surprise and delight clients and allow them to engage and resonate with their audiences in unique ways,” Adams said.

“For me, it’s not about crazy builds or design elements. Successful events are about the emotional process of connecting people and that’s what I look to creating with BonBon.”