We Communications (We) has acquired content marketing agency Codeword in an effort to grow its content, digital, social and editorial capabilities.
Kass Sells, president of We North America, told The Drum that the deal marries both companies' experience telling technology stories across the media landscape.
Codeword, which will be renamed to We Codeword, will continue to operate as a separate entity and maintain its own client portfolio. The company's current leadership will stay in place and work in partnership with a joint board of We executives, headed by Sells.
The acquisition aims to continue We's global acceleration. In March, We expanded its presence in India after investing in integrated consultancy Avian Media.
"[Our business plan] also calls for adding additional capabilities in our fastest growing areas of influence, which include content, social and digital. In Codeword, we found a partner who can add world-class talent in two of our fastest growing markets, New York and San Francisco,” said Sells.
Codeword also has offices in Salt Lake City.
We North America has recently brought in clients like McDonald's, iRobot and Tabula Rasa.
“We’ve been fans of We for a long time and many of us have worked with We in our past lives as journalists,” said Kyle Monson, Codeword partner. “We’re so excited for this next phase. We work hard to stay at the forefront of our industry, and partnering with We gives us a bigger platform to do the kind of work we love to do for our clients."
With most of its team having backgrounds in journalism and media, Codeword takes a publishing approach to marketing and brand communications.