Clarity, a global integrated communications agency recently commended by PRWeek as both Best International Agency, and winner of Specialist Consultancy of the Year, announced the acquisition of 3WhiteHats, a creative SEO, paid and analytics agency with clients including Aon, Invesco and Abellio and teams in both Cornwall and London.
The acquisition of 3WhiteHats is a major step in Clarity’s reimagining of what a communications agency can deliver. In bringing deep analytics, paid and SEO capabilities to Clarity’s best-in-class communications offerings, 3WhiteHats expands the range of services Clarity offers and enables more expansive and impactful campaigns to be delivered for both agencies’ clients.
The co-dependency of PR and digital is an under-developed opportunity within the market, and can create far greater value than the sum of its parts. Coupling PR with an optimisation strategy focussed on both technical excellence and creative content unleashes huge commercial gains from digital. Furthermore, when backed up with the punch of paid search and social, the outcomes achievable for clients are at a level that would be unthinkable without this kind of truly integrated approach.
This is the latest in a series of major initiatives at Clarity designed to ensure the team has the necessary toolkit in place to seamlessly respond to clients’ changing needs at any stage of their journey – from disruptive startups to tech industry titans. It is also part of a concerted effort to ensure Clarity’s team is constantly up-skilling and being provided with some of the most exciting opportunities in the industry to embrace integrated working practices. The addition of an office in Cornwall is something Clarity hopes to build on, offering UK team members the opportunity to adopt a coastal lifestyle if they choose, and find the working environment that best suits them.
Sami McCabe, founder and CEO of Clarity, said of the deal: “The acquisition of 3WhiteHats is an important milestone in our growth story, and will create enormous opportunity for both teams to work on truly integrated campaigns for a growing client base of some of the most exciting and ambitious businesses on earth. Our company cultures are a perfect fit, and we’re already seeing some stunning collaborations that generate exceptional results for our clients, as well as a lot of fun and excitement for our teams. We are committed to continuing to evolve our offerings to meet and anticipate what clients will need throughout their growth journey, as well as creating interesting new opportunities for our people.”
Tom Telford, Managing Director of 3WhiteHats adds: “The chance to join Clarity on its rocketship growth trajectory was an opportunity not to be missed. We’re equally obsessed with harnessing data and analytics to drive high-impact, omnichannel campaigns that deliver measurable results, so our agencies are a perfect match. Given the strong cultural alignment between the two agencies, 3WhiteHats being named among Campaign’s Top 5 Places To Work in 2020, the acquisition will also create plenty of opportunity for our people to enjoy working on creative, meaningful projects with likeminded people. Not to mention, we’re looking forward to hosting them in Cornwall and showing off all that the coast has to offer!”
This is the fourth acquisition by Clarity in the last 18 months, and the second since the start of the pandemic, with Clarity acquiring Benelux tech PR and communications specialist, Yellow Communications, in September 2020. The acquisition brings the global headcount to 86, with 32 people in the UK. Clarity grew by 47% in 2020 and is currently shortlisted for PR Week’s International Agency of the year and PRCA’s Dare Award for Large Consultancy of the Year, as well as being named PR Week’s Specialist Agency of the Year in 2020.