MSQ acquires creative agency SPCSHP

U.K.-based marketing group MSQ has acquired SPCSHP, the creative agency formerly known as Big Spaceship, as it seeks to strengthen its stateside presence. The deal more than doubles MSQ’s headcount in the U.S. and will boost its annual revenue in North America to $100 million, according to the company. Terms were not disclosed. (MSQ’s annual revenue in North America before the deal was approximately $50 million.) SPCSHP, which was founded in 2000 and changed its name in January, has 140 employees and works with clients such as Starbucks, Dairy Queen and PepsiCo. SPCSHP reported 2023 revenue of $40 million, according to its Ad Age Small Agency Awards entry. Agency Review Tracker Stay up to date with the latest account reviews Click here Michael Lebowitz, SPCSHP’s founder and chairman, and Ranae Heuer, its CEO, will continue to lead the New York-based agency, while helping MSQ’s U.S. leadership drive growth. SPCSHP will also collaborate with other MSQ agencies—some of which include The Gate, Elmwood, Smarts and Freemavens—to form bespoke solutions for clients when necessary, according to MSQ. SPCSHP saw an opportunity with the deal to “offer our clients a greater range of marketing and tech solutions and extend our global reach,” Lebowitz said in an emailed statement. The combination, he added, will give SPCSHP “increased capabilities in digital, data and technology,” within a model that retains its entrepreneurship. Purchasing SPCSHP is the latest move in MSQ’s U.S. expansion plans. In the past two years, MSQ's PR agency Smarts, production shop BraveSpark, web and digital product development company MMT and full-service media agency Walk-In Media have started doing business in the region. Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs MSQ works with global clients such as Unilever, Vodafone, Vitality, Diageo and Booking.com. One Equity Partners (OEP) last year bought a majority stake in MSQ. LDC (part of Lloyds Banking Group) and MSQ senior management own a minority stake. In June, MSQ partnered with M&C Saatchi veterans Steve Martin and Jamie Wynn-Morgan to launch global sport and entertainment shop MSQ Sport + Entertainment.

UK marketing group acquires SPCSHP as it continues stateside expansion

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