Hill+Knowlton Strategies, a wholly owned subsidiary of WPP, announced today that it has acquired Group SJR. Group SJR develops and creates digital content enabling marketers to build brands and cultivate audiences.

JEGI CLARITY (www.jegiclarity.com) of New York, NY, the leading independent investment bank for the media, information, marketing, and technology sectors, represented Group SJR in this transaction and acted as its exclusive financial advisor.

“As more and more companies seek a new solution that bridges the strengths of public relations and marketing to meet their strategic goals, many are turning to the power of branded and owned digital content,” said Jack Martin, global chairman and CEO of Hill+Knowlton Strategies. “Our outstanding strategic, digital, content and creative capabilities are already true differentiators for the firm. Welcoming Group SJR to the H+K family, as specialists in building audiences through great content, bolsters and complements our existing digital storytelling expertise and provides vast opportunity for both firms and our clients.”

Founded in 2004, Group SJR is a marketing communications firm with offices in New York and Los Angeles. The firm represents such organizations as Dell, GE, the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), TED and Xerox, among others.

“The greatest challenge — and opportunity — marketers and communicators face today is audience: how to get it, keep it and build it,” said Group SJR Managing Partner Alexander Jutkowitz, who takes on the additional title of vice chairman and chief global strategist of H+K Strategies. “Digital content — original, daily and owned — gives companies and brands the power to tell their story, share their unique knowledge and find and engage the right audiences as never before. Joining H+K provides our 50-strong team the chance to find, share and engage on a global scale, while working alongside other incredibly talented people and supporting H+K’s approach to digital storytelling. We’re thrilled at the prospect.”

The H+K Digital team has built a strong foundation of digital marketing, storytelling and branded content creation. The partnership with SJR expands H+K Digital’s existing capabilities and services, including its “Layered Narrative” digital storytelling platform, “Flight School” online crisis simulator and upcoming StoryPlanner tool for planning and distributing brand content across paid, earned, owned and shared channels. The partnership also provides additional staff needed to grow existing client engagements and win new ones. And H+K immediately provides Group SJR with a diverse client mix and global reach.