Atlanta-based marketing agency joins global company in nine-figure deal
Atlanta-based digital marketing agency Get Engaged is joining forces with global marketing company SAMY in a deal valued at least at $100 million, the companies announced Tuesday.
It is a major move for the Buckhead firm, giving it new financial backing and resources to accelerate its growth.
“Growing up in Atlanta, it means a lot to build a company here that creates opportunities for people in this city,” Alex Dermer, co-founder of Get Engaged, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution by email.
“As we grow with SAMY, I want more people to see that they can build a career here and do work that reaches the world. That’s a big part of what success looks like to me,” Dermer said.
Dermer started Get Engaged in 2016 alongside co-founders Ben Hiott and Cam Fordham. The company started out of the Atlanta Tech Village but is now based in Buckhead and has offices in Nashville, New York and Los Angeles. The company employs 120 people, 70 of whom are based in Atlanta.
When asked if there will be any job cuts in the wake of the acquisition, the company’s co-founders said in an email to the AJC, “Our focus is on growing the team across our offices.”
Over the past decade, Get Engaged has worked with brands like DoorDash, Atlanta United and Raising Cane’s, and created viral campaigns with celebrities including rapper Post Malone and social media personality Alix Earle.
SAMY was founded in Madrid, works in more than 55 markets across the world and has over 1,000 employees. As part of the deal, Get Engaged will retain its name and operate as SAMY’s U.S. arm. The company’s founders and leadership team are staying in place, and Atlanta will remain its home base.
“These titans fuse into one,” Marta Nicolás, co-founder of SAMY, said Tuesday while speaking with Dermer, Hiott and Fordham on a panel at Advertising Week New York, an industry conference.
“It’s huge for us. We have … a proven track record outside of the U.S. We were born in Europe, then started working in Latin America, and having (Get Engaged) on board obviously solidifies our presence here. They bring in complementary capabilities. They bring amazing clients. And to me, most importantly, these three human beings are amazing,” Nicolás said.
Get Engaged decided to join SAMY because there “was mutual respect and a shared vision for where the business could go. We bring cultural understanding, relationships and the ability to drive content across the internet,” the company’s co-founders said. “SAMY adds global reach, data, technology and production resources that give us more ways to deliver for our clients.”
They declined to disclose the specific terms of the deal, but said it was in the low nine-figures and includes cash and equity alongside additional resources for growth.
Five years from now, the co-founders envision Get Engaged as the first call for a brand looking to connect with culture.
“That means doing more across social, creators, talent and content, with better data and technology behind it,” they said. “With SAMY, we can take work that starts in Atlanta and bring it to audiences around the world.”