Award-winning creative marketing agency, WHITE64 today announced that it has acquired the Jake Group, a 20-year-old, independent branding and digital studio based in Washington, D.C.
Effective immediately, Jake Group’s team will vacate their Georgetown offices and join WHITE64’s full-time staff members at the agency’s headquarters in Tysons Corner, VA. The Jake Group team will serve as WHITE64’s de facto digital advertising and marketing services department.
Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed, but the transaction was described as an asset purchase agreement by WHITE64 President Kerry Beutel.
“I’m thrilled that the Jake Group will be joining forces with WHITE64,” Beutel said in making the announcement. “This is a truly historic day for our agency. Jake Group’s best-in-class digital skills and expertise will bring a whole new dimension to the services we can offer our clients.”
Jake Group was founded in 2002 by Anneli Werner, currently the agency’s managing partner. At WHITE64, Werner will assume the title of Executive Vice President, Digital Marketing, and will join the agency’s senior executive leadership team. Jake Group managing partner Mark Wahl will become WHITE64’s Vice President of Technology & Innovation and will also join the agency’s senior leadership group.
Jake Group offers creative and digital services in categories such as nonprofit, finance, professional services, real estate, media, and technology. Clients include the Roosevelt Group, Colonial Parking, CGS Architects, AAVMC, Rand Construction, and the Aspen Institute. The agency’s special area of expertise is branding and custom website design and development.
“Partnering with WHITE64 marks the beginning of a new chapter for the Jake Group,” said Werner. “After nearly 20 years as a boutique agency, we’re excited to be integrating with a larger platform that will allow us to better serve our clients, and likewise support WHITE64’s growing digital practice.”
WHITE64 was acquired by PenFed Credit Union in 2018 after serving as the company’s marketing and advertising agency since 2014. It operates as an autonomous unit rather than an in-house agency while remaining PenFed’s agency of record. Other WHITE64 clients include the Bio Industries, CFP Board, Bozzuto, Hilton, Peraton, Sunrise Senior Living, United Federal Credit Union, Visit Fairfax, and Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, among others. In 2019, the agency opened WHITE64 Studios, a 7,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art content production studio with photography, video and audio services all in-house.