McCracken Advises Brand Strategy Agency Marshall on its sale to Chicago based Two by Four

CHICAGO, IL —August 28, 2019 – Two by Four, a full-service advertising agency, announced today a merger with Marshall Strategy, a San Francisco-based company specializing in corporate identity and brand strategy. The combined agency will go by the name Two by Four and be headquartered in Chicago with an additional office in San Francisco.

“We’re excited to finally announce our merger with Marshall,” said David Stevenson, CEO and Chief Creative Officer at Two by Four. “By adding their deep strategic, naming, research and analytics capabilities, we have created a highly responsive, super-strategic creative agency. Not to mention that they have a sweet penthouse office with a massive rooftop deck which overlooks the city of San Francisco. I think our Chicago staff may be most excited about that.”

The newly formed agency will have the ability to fully implement identity and brand driven business strategies in the areas of marketing, advertising, events, corporate communications, public relations, naming, research, analytics and social media. David Stevenson will remain CEO and Chief Creative Officer of Two by Four, while Ken Pasternak will assume the role President. Philip Dubrow, Marshall’s Chairman, will now be Chairman of Two by Four and serve as a Senior Advisor.

“We are all highly enthusiastic about this unique kind of new agency,” said Ken Pasternak, President of Two by Four. “We’re bringing together a group of remarkable

people with exceptional capabilities to focus on creatively extending strategic advantage to increase brand value for our clients through a comprehensive, end-to-end approach. It’s an exciting time for all of us.”

McCracken Advisory Partners acted as exclusive M&A Advisor to Marshall Strategy on the transaction.

About Two by Four

Founded in 1998, Two by Four has focused on creating advertising that always leaves a lasting impression for major brands like Wrangler, TimberTech, Coca-Cola, Firestone and Grainger.

About Marshall Strategy

Founded in 2002, Marshall Strategy has created clarity, meaning and value for high- profile organizations like Google, IBM, Salesforce, Harvard University, LinkedIn and Sony.