MERCANTILE CO. LAUNCHES TO UNITE SPECIALIST AGENCIES

The founders of G Squared have unveiled Mercantile Co., a new parent company uniting four specialist agencies in performance, social media monitoring, AI and digital experience. The move formalises the group’s evolution, offering sharper expertise, independence and complementary capabilities for clients including P&G, Bunnings, Mitsubishi Electric and the University of Sydney.

The founders of award-winning digital marketing agency G Squared, George Pappas and George Photios, have launched Mercantile Co., a new parent company designed to unite four specialist agencies under one umbrella. The move marks a significant milestone for the group, which has grown from a single agency founded in 2012 into a collective employing more than 70 people.

Mercantile Co. brings together G Squared, Burrow, Wordie and GammaDX, each with its own specialist focus. G Squared continues to lead in digital performance across paid media, SEO, performance creative and data. Burrow, launched in 2022, provides 24/7 social media monitoring, listening and community management with an Australian team. Wordie designs, builds and supports WordPress solutions for organisations, while GammaDX, founded in January this year, is an AI-native digital experience agency building platforms and commerce at scale. Together, the agencies span performance, technology, reputation and experience, combining sector expertise with AI-driven solutions to deliver measurable outcomes.

Clients across the group include Endeavour Energy, P&G, The University of Sydney, Bunnings, Monash University, Meriton Suites, Mitsubishi Electric, Jemena, Toshiba, Mirvac, the National Rugby League, Region Group and National Storage. Leadership remains distributed, with Photios heading G Squared, Pappas leading GammaDX, and Manuel Kambos serving as CEO of Burrow since 2025.

Photios explained that the creation of Mercantile Co. reflects the increasing complexity of the digital marketing ecosystem. “Clients don’t need agencies trying to be everything to everyone. They need deep expertise, great people and partners who understand how their particular discipline can drive their businesses forward. Mercantile Co. gives us the structure to build exactly that,” he said.

Pappas added that the group structure allows clients to access complementary capabilities without compromising independence. “Where a client has a broader challenge, we can bring the right Mercantile Co. agencies together, combining their capabilities to solve the problem without compromising what makes each agency distinctive. It gives clients the best of both worlds,” he said.

The name Mercantile Co. is inspired by the group’s Sydney headquarters in the historic Mercantile Bank building at 151 Regent Street, Chippendale, dating back to the late 1800s. Photios noted: “We started G Squared because we saw an opportunity to do digital differently. As we approach our fifteenth year, the opportunity is much bigger. Mercantile Co. allows us to keep building specialisms that are relevant to where the market is moving.”

Pappas concluded: “Mercantile Co. is not about creating a bigger agency for the sake of being bigger, but building sharper expertise and a clearer role in our clients’ success. There is a lot more to come.”