A Wider Sphere of Influence: DraftWorldwide adds to KBA with Sloan Group buy.
DraftWorldwide, Chicago, found a little more style for its KBA Marketing unit this summer by acquiring The Sloan Group, a seven-year-old shop specializing in youth and entertainment marketing.
Chicago-based KBA’s forte is “influence marketing,” a strategy of targeting trendsetters who can influence the behavior of their peers. New York City-based Sloan Group “has a heritage of finding unique ways to reach a specific audience,” with special talents in P-O-S and Internet marketing, says DraftWorldwide president Jordan Rednor. “It expands the breadth of what KBA does.”
Sloan has 50 employees and a client list that includes HBO, ESPN, A&E Networks, Nickelodeon, and several dot-coms. The agency has a “whatever it takes” strategic approach that incorporates advertising, promotion, graphic design, technology, and video/broadcast skills. Principal Cliff Sloan will continue running the operation.
“They have a very dynamic, young culture, which complements our own very well,” says KBA president Kevin Berg. “We also liked its geography. KBA’s second largest office is in New York, but it’s more of a service office today. Now we’ll have full-service capability.”
Sloan will maintain “a tremendous amount of autonomy,” says Berg. “They’ll work separately, and hopefully we’ll share clients in the near future.”
Ten-year-old KBA has grown into a 1,300-employee operation with 35 field offices in the U.S. and Europe. Clients include Coca-Cola, M&M/Mars, R.J. Reynolds, and United Distillers & Vintners.
