Two of Milwaukee’s most creative Third Ward companies, Hanson Dodge Creative (HDC) and Comet Branding + PR, will merge effective Jan. 1, 2011.
Hanson Dodge bills itself as “America’s leading active lifestyle agency,” while Comet Branding is one of Milwaukee’s foremost authorities in social media.
The merger will expand Hanson Dodge’s collective ability to provide world-class services to a growing list of global clients such as Wilson Sporting Goods, Trek Bicycle Company, Wolverine Boots, Thule and Kmart.
Ken Hanson, chief executive officer of HDC, said, “Simply put, social media is the medium of the active lifestyle market. Comet’s social media and PR strength is the ideal complement to HDC’s existing services. These strengthened capabilities will be very attractive to HDC’s current and future active lifestyle clients.”
The merger will enable Comet to bring its talents to serve HDC’s client base and industry that is ideally suited to social media. The active lifestyle market is made up of people who are passionate about the brands they use and are keen to engage with those brands through social and new media.
Al Krueger and Sara Meaney, the owners of Comet, will be equity partners in HDC. Krueger and Meaney will continue to focus on the social media and PR business they have created and look for additional opportunities to grow the integrated social media division of HDC.
“Sara and Al have built a national reputation and recognition for their ideas and success around leveraging social media combined with strategic communications to help businesses thrive,” said Tim Dodge, president of HDC. “By adding Comet’s capabilities and team to our brand strategies and traditional and interactive marketing initiatives we are ideally positioned to continue to provide fully integrated traditional, digital and social media services to our world-class clients.”
“Over the last three years, we have been able to build an agency and team that we are really proud of and we have been honored to have a number of firms approach us to develop strategic partnerships to leverage of social media and PR offerings,” said Krueger, who calls himself the “right brain” at Comet. “HDC’s leadership, team, reputation and culture stood out among the rest and we are excited to get started.”
“Pooling Comet’s and HDC’s capabilities will create significant immediate and future opportunities,” said Meaney, who calls herself the “left brain” at Comet. “This combined agency will represent a remarkably integrated approach that will enable our clients to more easily navigate the increasingly complex landscape brought about by the collision of marketing and technology. We are confident that our work will stand out in the agency world as one that fully leverages the best of branding, design, technology, social media and public relations.”
Both companies are based in the Hanson Dodge building at 220 E. Buffalo St. in Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward. Comet Branding will move down to join Hanson Dodge on the third and fourth floors of the building.
The merger comes on the heels of HDC’s recent addition of Jim Hoefflin as chief operating officer and partner earlier this year. Hoefflin, former executive vice president of products and marketing for RedPrairie, oversees the day-to-day operations and strategic partnerships and acquisitions.
The Comet Branding brand will be retained for now, as the companies do not want to confuse their respective clients, Hanson said.
Comet Branding hosts an active blog and a weekly Internet-based radio show dedicated to discussing new trends in marketing, PR and social media. Comet Branding’s clients include The Marcus Corp. of Milwaukee, 3D Exhibits of Chicago and TEC.
