Get Engaged Buy Drives SAMY US Expansion

Madrid-based marketing agency SAMY is acquiring US firm Get Engaged - both are focused on social media / influencer and creator marketing, and SAMY says the deal will create 'one of the largest' independent agencies in the sector worldwide.

SAMY was founded in 2012 and has been majority-owned for the past c.two years by private investor Bridgepoint. The fast-growing firm currently employs more than 1,200 people in twenty offices, helping clients with social-first marketing strategies through a combination of proprietary software and advanced analytics tools.

Get Engaged was founded in 2016 by Alex Dermer, Cam Fordham and Ben Hiott, and has around 120 employees, based in locations in Atlanta, New York, Nashville and Los Angeles. Its work covers campaign ideation, social media management, influencer marketing, celebrity partnerships, content production and paid media.

The combination promises Get Engaged clients global reach and international activation capabilities, complemented by deeper social-first expertise across data and insights, strategy, creative, content production, social commerce, and product and technology development. 'We've spent years developing a deep understanding of what captures attention,' says co-founder Ben Hiott, 'what people choose to share, and what makes content move across the internet. Joining SAMY gives us the global infrastructure, resources, and reach to build on that expertise at a much greater scale, helping more clients earn a meaningful place in the conversations shaping culture.'

Juan Andres Elhazaz (pictured), CEO of SAMY highlights the geographical benefits of the buy, stating: 'Having established a proven track record as a leader in Europe and Latin America scaling our US footprint was one of SAMY's primary growth objectives and Get Engaged is the ideal partner to lead that expansion. We now bring our data and insight- driven Influencer and Social capabilities, powered by tech and AI, to maximize strategy and creative output, allowing leading brands to resonate authentically with today's audiences.'

The firms are online at www.samy.com/en and www.getengagedmedia.com .