WPP has announced the acquisition of JeffreyGroup, one of the most respected independent corporate communications, public affairs, and marketing consulting firms in Latin America.
JeffreyGroup will join the Hill+Knowlton Strategies international network and will create the largest global communications agency presence in Latin America, doubling Hill+Knowlton Strategies’ footprint in the region. Headquartered in Miami, with 330 people across offices in Mexico City, Brasilia, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Buenos Aires, JeffreyGroup has been a powerhouse in Latin America for nearly three decades.
The agency specialises in developing innovative, award-winning brand and corporate communications programmes and public affairs strategies for clients across a broad range of industries, including Amazon, American Airlines, AstraZeneca, Bacardí, Bayer, BlackRock, Johnson & Johnson, Marriott International, Salesforce, TikTok, and Walt Disney World Resorts. JeffreyGroup also recently earned more nominations than any other agency in PRovoke Media’s upcoming 2022 Latin America SABRE Awards.
AnnaMaria DeSalva, global chairman and CEO of Hill+Knowlton Strategies, said: “I’ve admired JeffreyGroup since my early days as one of its clients, and I’m delighted to welcome it and its employees into the Hill+Knowlton and WPP families. Latin America is one of the most dynamic communication markets today, offering a growing scope of talent and innovation. Our combination with JeffreyGroup creates step change opportunities and I’m excited about what we’ll be able to achieve together.”
Jeffrey Sharlach, founder and chairman of JeffreyGroup, said: “The success of JeffreyGroup over the past 30 years in Latin America has been due in large part to our ability to evolve and adapt in a dynamic region of the world with diverse conditions, customs, and cultures. Joining forces with WPP and Hill+Knowlton is an exciting step forward in this evolution and opens up a world of resources for our clients and opportunities for our hundreds of employees.”
Mark Read, CEO of WPP, said: “WPP’s public relations and communications services have never been more in-demand. Our clients want agile partners who can help them navigate today’s complex world and create the right spaces to tell their stories. Latin America continues to be an important growth market for our clients, and JeffreyGroup will strengthen our established presence in the region and bring deep-rooted experience of delivering tailored communications strategies that resonate with audiences.”
JeffreyGroup becomes the latest in a series of acquisitions – including Newcraft, Corebiz, Bower House Digital and Village Marketing – that form part of WPP’s accelerated growth strategy and focused M&A approach that further strengthens the company’s core creative capabilities in marketing, communications and design, and builds on existing capabilities in experience, commerce and technology.
