Four Buys Social Media Insights Agency Legend Engage

In London, marcoms network Four Communications Group has acquired social media marketing and insights agency Legend Engage, for an undisclosed sum.

Legend Engage was founded in 2013 by Kath Ludlow, who earlier spent thirteen years at WPP's content marketing agency Forward Worldwide, and Rachel O'Sullivan, who previously held senior roles at Pfizer, NCR, Deep Group and Channel 4 Interactive. The firm's offer includes proprietary methodology Mapper360, which delivers real-time data and insights to inform marketing and PR strategies and campaigns. The company has a team of twelve and a network of fifteen further consultants; and in 2016 had fee income of around £840k.

This is Four's seventh acquisition, including recently added public affairs and corporate communications agency Insight Consulting Group. Legend Engage will be renamed Four Engage and will move to Four's headquarters in London Bridge, where Ludlow and O'Sullivan will serve as its joint Manging Directors. A suite of other sector, audience and territory products will be rolled out across the Four Group including Travel Mapper360, SME Mapper360, Millennial Mapper360 and MENA Mapper360.

Four CEO Nan Williams comments: 'We are seeing huge demand for and growth in social (media) and content services, and when the opportunity arose for an acquisition grounded in real-time, tangible data and insights, we knew it would power our offering to the next level. Rachel and Kath have built a very smart agency and propriety products which will dovetail seamlessly into our integrated service offer and work across all our key markets'.

Web sites: www.fourcommunications.com and www.legendengage.com .