Merged operations will increase Slack Barshinger’s scale in Chicago and expand integrated marketing capabilities nationally
Chicago, IL, Jan. 30, 2009—In a move that strengthens Slack Barshinger’s position as Chicago’s leading b-to-b marketing communications agency, Coleman Partners, a seven-year-old brand consultancy and advertising agency, has merged its operations and brand into Slack Barshinger, the two agencies announced today.
Founded in 2002 by Kevin Coleman, Coleman Partners has grown in seven years to become a prominent, well-regarded and award-winning agency serving leading b-to-b clients and brands in industrial products, financial services and health care markets.
“We have long admired Coleman’s branding and creative work, and then things really clicked when we got to know them personally at a number of BMA events,” said Gary Slack, chairman and chief experience officer of Slack Barshinger. “We started talking some time ago about joining forces, and thanks to how compatible our cultures are, the transition has gone very smoothly for everyone involved.”
“Everybody knows Slack Barshinger is the ‘go to’ b-to-b agency brand in Chicago and increasingly across the U.S.,” said Coleman, who will continue with Slack Barshinger as a senior counselor. “I was delighted to invite our clients and staff into such a nationally respected agency where they can access more capabilities, especially in the digital arena.”
Effective Jan. 16, 2009, the transaction entails the integration of Coleman’s professional staff into Slack Barshinger’s Chicago operations. Led by Karen Courtright, the former Coleman group initially will focus on serving its long-standing clients, pulling in additional Slack Barshinger resources and talent as needed.
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About Coleman Partners
Coleman Partners is a full-service advertising agency and brand consultancy in Chicago. Founded in 2002, the agency brings a reputation for rigorous market research, sound principles of brand strategy and award-winning writing and design to clients in health care, pharmaceuticals, industrial products, technology, government, education and not-for-profit organizations. Operating on the belief that advertising can be simultaneously ethical and effective, Coleman Partners works to help clients find the right strategy for competing in an increasingly crowded and frenetic world. For that world, the agency works to make its clients as clear, persuasive and gracious as possible. To learn more, visit www.colemanpartners.com.
About Slack Barshinger
Slack Barshinger is an integrated marketing communications agency that works exclusively with business-to-business marketers to build strong brands and generate profitable demand for their products and services. Founded in 1988 with offices in Chicago and Silicon Valley, the agency’s 50-person staff works expertly across the entire marketing communications spectrum, combining deep expertise in demand creation with new marketing technologies to build solutions-neutral programs that deliver predictable ROI. In 2002, 2004 and 2006, the Business Marketing Association named the firm its national Agency of the Year. In 2005, 2006 and 2007, BtoB magazine named the agency one of the nation’s three Top Midsize agencies. Learn more at http://www.slackbarshinger.com and at its blog site, http://www.writtenbyallof.us.
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