A unit of Houston-based advertising company 9thWonder has joined with London-based Gravity World as a part of the business-to-business advertising company’s growth within the U.S.
Gravity World, whose purchasers together with the Boston industrial conglomerate Common Electrical and the Dutch multinational AkzoNobel, mentioned Wednesday it acquired each 9thWonder B2B, the Houston company’s business-to-business unit, and Minneapolis-based inventive company Morsekode. Phrases weren’t disclosed.
Gravity World, which operates in a number of international locations, has partnered with 9thWonder and Morsecode on initiatives for years. As a part of the transaction, Jose Lozano, who based 9thWonder by buying and integrating six companies in 2018, turns into the U.S. CEO of Gravity World, primarily based in Houston. Gravity World’s high purchasers embrace the Texas refiners Phillips 66 and Motiva, the Minnesota conglomerate 3M and the monetary providers agency Ameriprise Monetary.
Thirty staff from the business-to-business aspect of 9thWonder will transfer to Gravity World. About 250 staff will stay at 9thWonder on the company’s client aspect, which promotes purchasers akin to automakers Honda and Ford. Lozano serves as chairman at 9thWonder.
9thWonder cut up its B2B (business-to-business) and B2C (business-to-consumer) divisions in 2020, positioning the corporate to develop by becoming a member of with Gravity World, Lozano mentioned. Previous to forming 9thWonder, Lozano and his companions had beforehand acquired Fogarty & Klein Inc., a longstanding advertising company in Houston.
“As we made acquisitions on the B2C aspect of our enterprise, it left the B2B a part of our enterprise as not as nice of focus,” Lozano mentioned. “We didn’t wish to lose that legacy, information and experience, with purchasers like Phillips 66 and Motiva we’ve had for a very long time.”
Backed by Elysian Capital, a personal fairness agency primarily based in London, Gravity World has accomplished six acquisitions within the final two years and has one other two offers within the works within the U.S. The company expects to double in measurement this yr from present ranges of greater than 250 individuals and $40 million in charges.
“We carry purchasers the size, experience, and geography of the most important B2B companies with the entrepreneurial mindset and agility of an impartial company,” Lozano mentioned.
Sara Hoerner and Lisa Hillmer-Poole, who led the B2B specialty at 9thWonder, are taking leaderships positions with Gravity U.S., Lozano mentioned.
“Since 2009 we’ve constructed Gravity by means of partnerships with like-minded companies. Now we want our personal places of work with devoted groups who comply with our proprietary progress framework Fame-Admiration-Perception,” Mark Lethbridge, CEO of Gravity World, mentioned in a press release. “Our technique is to assimilate companies the place we all know our chemistry is correct from working collectively on key accounts. We’ve recognized and labored with 9thWonder and Morsekode for a number of years.”
The acquisitions give Gravity World places of work in 5 main U.S. cities and deeper ties within the know-how, power, transportation, aerospace, monetary providers, industrial and healthcare industries. The agency has 14 places of work worldwide.
katherine.feser@chron.com
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