UK-based Agency IAS B2B Marketing has merged with New York-based agency Stein + Partners Brand Activation to form SteinIAS.
The new agency will vie for a leading role in the B2B marketing agency sector. It has a headcount of over 100, generates a combined revenue of $13m and its clients include Atos, BP Castrol, Pearson and Trelleborg.
SteinIAS launches with offices in New York, London, Manchester, Paris and Shanghai. Each office will continue to manage its historic client base.
IAS B2B Marketing was fourth in B2B Marketing’s 2012 Marcomms Agencies League Table and has received various other industry accolades. With this merger, IAS is one of a handful of UK-based agencies to demonstrate global ambitions.
Its main competitors will be Gravity Global; formed in 2009 after six individuals agencies joined forces, Gyro; originally a UK-based agency until it merged with US agency HSR in 2009 and Doremus, the business communications arm for advertising and marketing agency Omnicom.
The SteinIAS merger is the second B2B agency deal in just over a month. McDonald and Butler Associates announced its acquisition of channel marketing specialist Giant Step at the end of January. The two deals demonstrate the globalisation of the B2B sector may be driven by the UK rather than US.
Rob Morrice, managing director of SteinIAS EMEA and Asia said, “We share the same vision – to be globally recognised as the B2B agency that best delivers brand strategy, multichannel creativity and technology-powered go-to-market approaches. It made great sense to strengthen our individual assets by bringing the best of the best together under the same brand.”
