Periscope Continuing US Expansion with Acquisition of Chicago Based Anthem Marketing Solutions

Independent agency adds full-service Chicago office, bolsters existing team and deepens data and analytics capabilities.

Minneapolis, MN – June 16, 2017 – McCracken Advisory Partners, advised Periscope, one of the top five independent agencies in the nation with its acquisition of Anthem Marketing Solutions, a Chicago based, data-driven marketing agency. The acquisition is in line with Periscope’s growth strategy in all areas, coming off the heels of a creative hiring boom and new business wins such as Essentia Water, Woodford Reserve and the Minnesota Lottery.

Anthem, a firm that has deep experience in diagnostic, predictive and prescriptive analytics, also has experience in database marketing, journey mapping and loyalty services. Their retail client expertise is a perfect fit with Periscope’s clientele and integrated abilities.

“Periscope has prided itself on being an integrated, creatively driven full service agency; bringing in the Anthem team bolsters our data and analytics capabilities and is important for both us as an agency, and for our clients to stay competitive,” said Liz Ross, CEO of Periscope. “We’re fortunate enough to be an independent agency that is nimble enough to make investments like this, and continue to grow on our own terms.”

With the acquisition of Anthem, Periscope adds both data and analytics strategy expertise, and the knowledge of Anthem’s leadership team; Founder John Keenan previously worked with agencies like Wunderman and Leo Burnett, and partner Chris Carroll helped shift the brand’s focus to serving clients with big data analysis needs. Keenan will be joining Periscope’s executive committee in the newly created role of EVP/Marketing Analytics, and will lead the growing analytics team from Chicago. Carroll will become Managing Director of the Chicago office.

“Periscope is one of the best partners we could find in this industry, and to take this journey with,” said John Keenan, new EVP/Marketing Analytics at Periscope. “We were impressed with their vision and leadership; Periscope being an independent Midwest firm was perfectly suited for our goals and mindset, and being able to combine our capabilities with an integrated firm made sense for our future.”

Periscope will be evolving the existing Anthem Chicago office into a full-service Periscope arm, providing services for current Chicago based clients, and complementing the current analytics offerings out of Minneapolis.

ABOUT PERISCOPE
Periscope is one of the largest independent creative agencies in the nation and offers a full spectrum of marketing services to a wide range of acclaimed brands, including Arctic Cat, Autotrader, BASF, Best Buy, Bridgestone, Cox Communications, ExxonMobil, Great Clips, Kelley Blue Book, Petco, Target, Toro, Trolli, UnitedHealth Group, Walgreens, Welch’s and more.