Over the past few years, I’ve led Hawk Media through the acquisition of more than 20 companies—other agencies with amazing talent. This wasn’t just a random buying spree; it was a strategic approach to building something greater than the sum of its parts.
At Hawk, our mission is clear: to become the best marketing partner for everyone who needs marketing help. We strive to excel at what we do while remaining easy to work with. But achieving this goal solely through organic growth presents significant challenges.
Why Acquisitions Make Sense
The marketing landscape is filled with talented boutique agencies that have hit a ceiling. These smaller shops often have brilliant founders who’ve built impressive operations but lack the infrastructure to scale further. That’s where our acquisition strategy creates magic.
When we find these exceptional smaller agencies, we can make one plus one equal three. The math of acquisitions isn’t just additive—it’s multiplicative. We provide our established infrastructure, and in return, we gain their specialized talent, client relationships, market access, and unique capabilities.
This approach generates what I call exponential growth. Instead of the slow climb of purely organic expansion, we create sudden leaps forward that benefit everyone involved.
The Benefits Flow Both Ways
Our acquisition strategy isn’t just about what we gain—it creates opportunities for the agencies we bring into our family. The founders and teams of these smaller agencies often face frustrating limitations:
- They’ve maxed out their personal capacity to manage growth
- They lack the capital to build comprehensive infrastructure
- They can’t afford specialized roles like dedicated HR or finance teams
- They struggle to compete for enterprise-level clients
By joining forces with us, these limitations vanish overnight. Their teams gain access to resources they couldn’t build independently, and their client work can reach new heights.
Creating a More Robust Offering
Each acquisition strengthens our collective capabilities. We’re not just getting bigger—we’re getting better. Every agency we bring in adds new expertise, fresh perspectives, and specialized knowledge that benefits our entire organization.
This approach allows us to build a much more comprehensive team and service offering than we could through hiring alone. The specialized expertise that these boutique agencies have developed—often over many years—becomes immediately available to all our clients.
For example, when we acquire an agency with deep expertise in a particular industry or marketing discipline, that knowledge doesn’t stay siloed. It becomes part of our broader offering, enhancing the value we deliver across the board.
The Human Element
Beyond the business benefits, there’s a human element to our acquisition strategy that I find particularly rewarding. We’re creating opportunities for talented marketers to grow beyond what they could achieve in smaller agencies.
Many agency founders reach a point where they’re spending more time managing their business than doing the creative work they love. By joining our team, they can focus on their strengths while we handle the operational complexities.
For team members, the benefits include:
- Greater career advancement opportunities
- Exposure to larger, more diverse clients
- Collaboration with a broader team of specialists
- More resources for professional development
This human-centered approach to acquisitions has been key to our success. We’re not just acquiring companies—we’re bringing in people who share our passion for marketing excellence.
As we continue to grow through strategic acquisitions, I remain focused on our core mission: being the best marketing partner possible while remaining easy to work with. By bringing together the best talent from across the industry, we’re building something truly special—a marketing powerhouse that delivers exceptional results while creating opportunities for everyone involved.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How do you identify which agencies to acquire?
We look for smaller boutique agencies with exceptional talent and a strong track record, but who haven’t yet built the infrastructure to scale. The cultural fit is also critical—we want to partner with teams who share our commitment to marketing excellence and client service.
Q: What happens to the leadership of acquired agencies?
Most often, the founders and leadership teams stay on board and continue to play important roles. Our goal is to free them from administrative burdens so they can focus on what they do best—whether that’s client strategy, creative direction, or business development.
Q: How do clients benefit from these acquisitions?
Clients gain access to a much broader range of expertise and capabilities without losing the relationships they’ve built. They maintain the same point of contact but can now tap into our expanded team of specialists across various marketing disciplines.
Q: Does Hawk Media completely absorb the acquired agency’s brand?
Each acquisition is handled differently based on the specific circumstances. Sometimes we fully integrate the agency under the Hawk brand, while in other cases we might maintain their established brand identity while operating as part of our larger family. The decision depends on what makes the most sense for the agency’s clients and team.
Q: What’s the biggest challenge in making acquisitions successful?
Cultural integration is always the biggest challenge. Technical aspects like merging systems can be solved with time and resources, but bringing teams together with different working styles and expectations requires careful attention. We invest heavily in communication and team building during the transition period to ensure everyone feels valued and understood.
