Firewood merger with MediaMonks takes S4Capital’s purely digital faster, better, cheaper model to a new level
S4Capital has announced that MediaMonks, its digital global content practice, has merged with Firewood, an international digital marketing agency built on extensive partnerships with some of the world’s best-known technology brands. Firewood is one of the largest independent agencies in Silicon Valley, and along with MediaMonks, has recently been ranked as one of the fastest-growing agencies by Adweek.
Firewood is a leading proponent of the “embedded” model of client partnership, a deeply collaborative way of working with clients to deliver on speed, quality and value.
It was founded in 2010 by Juan and Lanya Zambrano, and offers a broad range of digital capabilities including creative, strategy and planning, performance media, and technology services. It employs over 300 people in seven offices across the Americas and Europe, as well as San Francisco, Mountain View, Sandpoint, New York, Dublin, London and Mexico City.
To combat the inefficiencies found in traditional agencies, Firewood deploys teams of creative and strategic marketing professionals who work as extensions of their clients’ internal marketing team.
Their client/agency partnership model is based on the three core principles of collaboration, integration and flexibility. Firewood’s approach has been embraced by clients seeking a more agile, efficient and transparent way of working.
For S4Capital, this announcement is another important strategic step towards delivering a purely digital, first-party data-driven, faster, better and cheaper content and programmatic offer for clients worldwide, with a unitary business model.
Sir Martin Sorrell, Senior Monk and Executive Chairman of S4Capital said: “This merger is a further step in creating a new era communications services leader. Firewood has an enviable client list comprising many of Silicon Valley’s finest; and we are delighted to welcome Juan, Lanya and their colleagues to the S4Capital family. We will now have over 1,800 professionals in 23 countries, with over 500 in each of two nodes, one in Silicon Valley and one in Amsterdam.”
Wesley ter Haar, Founding Monk and COO of MediaMonks, said: “Firewood’s “embedded” approach will allow us to build deeper and broader relationships with our clients, helping us work in a more flexible, collaborative and integrated way.”
Lanya Zambrano, the founder and President of Firewood added that the merger is a recognition of all their people and that the richness of their differences creates their collective value.
Firewood aims to embrace finding diverse talent. As a certified Women/Minority-owned business enterprise, 38 percent of its employees are from diverse ethnic backgrounds; 67 percent are women, and its leadership team is comprised of nearly 64 percent women.
“We look forward to developing further a new, disruptive model in the communications industry with MediaMonks and S4Capital as further proof that diversity is an intrinsic part of our industry’s future,” said Lanya Zambrano.
