M&C Saatchi WW Purchases Minority Stake in New York Agency SS+K

M&C Saatchi Worldwide announced today that it has purchased a minority interest in SS+K, a creative agency in New York with double digit growth this year and new clients including HBO, Starbucks and The New Yorker.

"A strong agency in New York is a cornerstone for any network. We have taken some time to find the right solution - an agency which is intelligent, ambitious and creative to its core,” said Moray MacLennan, Worldwide CEO at M&C Saatchi. “I am eager to start our future together with SS+K "

Earlier this year, M&C Saatchi acquired Lean Mean Fighting Machine, previously named Interactive Agency of the Year at Cannes.  Many M&C Saatchi offices around the world have emerged as market leaders with their work for RBS, Coca-Cola, Google and Reebok. Award-winning recent work includes Australia’s Clever Buoy and South Africa’s Cannes-winning Street Store.

“M&C Saatchi has been quietly turning itself into the nimble network alternative to holding company behemoths,” said Lenny Stern, who started SS+K with Rob Shepardson and Mark Kaminsky in 1993.  “For us, it means the chance to work internationally without losing our identity in a bureaucratic fly trap. At the same time, it allows us to enhance our digital, mobile, CRM, and experiential capabilities.” 

SS+K arrived early to non-traditional and multi-disciplinary work on issue and political, as well as brand campaigns. The agency won five Cannes Lions this year for HBO’s Awkward Family Viewing, and recently launched notable campaigns for Wells Fargo and Smile Train.  SS+K created the most-watched video of the 2012 presidential campaign, “Your First Time” featuring Lena Dunham, on behalf of President Obama.

“M&C Saatchi’s passion for cause-related work resonates with us,” said SS+K’s Rob Shepardson.  “We found an international network that believes working on important issues enhances skills as well as culture.” In fact, the two agencies first encountered each other several years ago while collaborating on campaigns in their respective countries to fight childhood obesity.