Highland Park-based consumer insights and strategy agency db5 has been purchased by Australian communications group Bastion Collective.

Terms of the majority acquisition were not disclosed, but Bastion Collective USA Chief Executive Dax Cornelius said db5’s original ownership maintained a significant stake in the business.

“We truly believe that the only way we can drive real growth is to keep the CEOs having skin in the game,” Cornelius said.

Bastion describes itself as the largest independent communications group in Australia in terms of both revenue and number of employees.

The db5 acquisition is part of Bastion’s ongoing push in the L.A. area.

“We are very bullish on our expansion throughout Los Angeles,” Cornelius said. “I’m feverishly looking for the right branded content, experiential events and merchandising agencies in L.A.”

The company has purchased three other Southern California operations this year: Irvine-based PR company LFPR, rebranded as Bastion Elevate; and Irvine-based digital agencies Rare Branding and Digital Brand Group, combined and rebranded as Bastion Rare.

Db5 was founded in 2009 by current Chief Executive Chris Hubble. The firm’s name stands for “dogs bollocks” — British slang for great. The company opened offices in New York in 2012 and Chicago in 2015.

Db5 clients include YouTube, Audi and PlayStation as well as Umami Restaurant Group, which is based in Mid-Wilshire.

Hubble said his firm began consulting for the Umami burger chain three years ago and, among other changes, advised the company to add meatless items to its menu.

The resulting deal with Impossible Foods Inc. helped improve the company’s then-

stagnating performance, according to Hubble, who said that a significant portion of Umami’s revenue is now derived from meatless products.

Hubble said there have been few changes at db5 following the acquisition, save upgrades to the agency’s customer relationship management and accounting software.

“Being part of something bigger is fabulous,” he said. “It gives us scale and an international footprint.”

Hubble added that there had not been any pressure to push clients to switch to Bastion for other services such as public relations or digital marketing.