Case Study: We Are Social has been acquired by BlueFocus

We Are Social is the largest and most awarded independent social media agency in the world. Founded in 2010, as a pure-play social media marketing agency with global ambition, it has enjoyed spectacular growth and built an outstanding reputation for its exceptional work.

The Situation

We were thrilled when We Are Social chose us as their advisers after a competitive pitch in early 2012. Everyone was talking about social media but it was an uncertain market from a shareholder perspective; would ‘social’ actually become a recognised marketing discipline in its own right? Everyone claimed to ‘do’ social, but there was only one truly specialist player of global scale; We Are Social. Socially-led, built to be social from the ground up and having grown from just the two founders, Robin Grant and Nathan McDonald, to 250 staff in eight offices across the globe in only four years. Amidst the confusion in the market, they had discovered the formula for success based on a completely clear and unswerving vision, brand identity and long term direction of travel. Their need was an adviser who could help them make sense of their opportunity and move at speed with them to unlock it whilst minimising the distractions for them in their mission to put social thinking at the centre of marketing.

Our Brief

The cornerstone of our brief was to guide the founders and their Board through the many options they could consider and myriad complex decisions that lay ahead. Having such a clear vision and drive amongst the Board gave us a clear framework to work within. However, We Are Social’s eight offices were all at differing stages of maturity and this was about creating an option that would work for all as the leadership teams of each office were also significant equity holders. The Board also very clearly understood that signing a deal was just the start of the next chapter and the business had to be in the best possible shape for that next adventure too.

Outcome

We worked with the Board throughout 2012 to evaluate options and really understand the DNA of the business and the potential of each office, using the international teams on the ground in each location as needed. We Are Social is unique in being socially-led at scale globally so conforming to the conventional rules of the established marketing services groups was not an option.

Being a truly dominant global player also requires a strong presence in the largest internet market in the world, China, which is almost impenetrable from the outside. With many shared clients, a joint ambition for international growth at a rate unlike any other established marketing services group and with geographic footprints that matched perfectly, BlueFocus Communication Group was a highly attractive fit from the outset. For BlueFocus, this was their first multi-country overseas investment and a foundation for growth fueled by M&A.