ITG Acquires Marketing and Technology Powerhouse In Major US Expansion

Today, Inspired Thinking Group (ITG), famed for its AI-enabled, agile content solutions, announces its acquisition of PureRed, in a strategic move that cements its expansion into the US market. With PureRed’s deep expertise in retail content and automation, the acquisition fast-tracks ITG’s goal of becoming the go-to Halo content partner worldwide, taking the headache out of marketing complexity.

When Andrew Swinand and Brian Cohen first met, they clicked instantly. The CEOs of Inspired Thinking Group (ITG) and PureRed, respectively, describe their conversation as effortless. “I was smitten,” admits Brian. There was something about this relationship that felt like both a strategic leap and an easy next step. Acquisitions can often be tense affairs, marked by clashing visions and uneasy compromises, but this one was different. Their conversations weren’t just about business; they were about people, about shared values, about a bigger picture. If my conversation with Andrew and Brian were a bingo card, the words ‘kindness’ and ‘curiosity’ would win me a full house.

US Expansion 

For Andrew, growing ITG's footprint in the US has been on his radar from day one, recognising the importance of establishing a robust presence. “50% of all global ad spend is in America. It’s funny, really. We’re a business growing at 30%, with world-class content marketing and the best digital asset management solutions, yet until now, we had a smaller footprint in the US.” He points out that of the top 250 global companies, 132 are based in the US. “If we are serious about growth, which we are, we need a strong presence and stronger capabilities in the US.” The move will see ITG's team rise to over 2,000 globally.

We’re witnessing a major transformation happening right now in advertising, driven by advanced data analytics and AI. Prominent firms are increasingly focusing on integrating new technological tools and emphasising data-driven and AI-powered advertising over traditional creative-led approaches. McKinsey Quarterly has noted, "To reach consumers where they are and how they want to be met, marketers can embrace two powerful innovations: AI-driven targeted promotions, and the use of gen AI to create and scale highly relevant messages with bespoke tone, imagery, copy, and experiences at high volume and speed." It’s a fact ITG knows all too well.

Brian tells us that PureRed already partners with 13 of the top 20 US retailers, creating high-quality, omnichannel content at scale. “We had a vision for where we were going to take the organisation, and it required transformation over the next three to five years,” he says. “We wanted to build technology similar to Storyteq — not an exact match – but we wanted to take ourselves down that path, with a vision of the organisation we wished to be.”

Then ITG came into the picture. “They had such a similar vision, but more advanced and more complete. Suddenly, the things we wanted to do were already here – we wanted to jump in with both feet, be part of it from day one, and push that story forward. It’s incredibly exciting.” 

A Happy Marriage?

We know that marrying two entities can be tricky – differing leadership styles, misaligned values, and operational clashes can derail even the best intentions. Here however, both CEOs say the partnership felt like a ideal fit from the beginning.

“I’ve been doing this long enough to know that if the people aren’t good, then it doesn’t work,” says Brian. “ITG is kindness-led; they’re human beings. You get into a room with them and it isn’t just a case of, ‘I have work to do,’ but rather, ‘I really can’t wait to solve a problem with these folks, because they’re like us.’ That’s one of the biggest reasons I’m excited about where we’re going.”

They get along with the kind of back and forth you’d expect from people who have been friends since college. There’s a jovial tone that omits superficiality, leaving behind something genuine and seamless — it's difficult to believe they met only six months ago.

For Andrew, that connection was about purpose as well as personalities, all boiling down to values-based leadership. “Culturally, we are aligned. The partnership feels natural. It wasn’t about, ‘Who’s going to be the boss?’ It was about ‘How do we work better together to make something great?’

“There are very few moments in your career when you get to be the driver of real, transformational change,” says Brian. “Too much of our industry has been about outthinking, outcreating, and simply trying to be slightly better than the competition. But we’re on the cusp of a major shift, and we get to be at the front of it, defining how the industry evolves.”

Both believe that together, ITG has the AI-enabled, agile content solution that will give clients the competitive edge they need to not only survive the sea change we are experiencing, but thrive in it.

It’s difficult to overstate the significance of this cultural and ideological synergy – with successful integration hinging on the mutual respect and vision of merging entities.

How It Will Work

From today, PureRed will rebrand to ITG, fully integrating into the company’s global structure, with Brian as US CEO, and Andrew remaining as global CEO. “The values are so well aligned that it makes integration much smoother. Strategically, the theme is ‘Think Pink’ and we’ll be going to market as a unified entity,” explains Andrew.

Operationally, the acquisition strengthens ITG’s capabilities across four key pillars: Capture, Create, Automate, and Integrate – a structure that PureRed meets with ease. “Inherently, those four pillars represent exactly the work we already do,” says Brian.

“Take Capture, for example: we have four studios across the United States, producing some of the most exciting work in our portfolio. Then there’s Create. Across our organisation, we have about 180 creative professionals. We produce beautiful content – mostly that essential Halo content that’s at the core of ITG’s offering.”

The way the world views automation is being totally redefined. With Storyteq at the centre of ITG’s Automation strategy – recently recognised by Gartner as a leader in both content marketing platforms and digital asset management– the team is positioned to not only streamline processes, but to deliver immediate, scalable results. It’s all about reducing complexity, while amplifying that all-important creative output. 

When it comes to the final pillar, Integrate, Brian explains that when working with retailers and their tech stacks, you have to integrate systems. “We didn't have a standalone integration practice before, but we were doing the work alongside the technology,” says Brian. “Now, as part of ITG, we officially do.”

“The moment we saw how ITG was structured, we realised – our capabilities map directly onto theirs,” says Brian. “I brought it back to our leadership team, and their reaction was unanimous: ‘That’s us. That’s exactly us.’”

What’s Next for Content Marketing

While the acquisition is of course a geographical win, for ITG, it is more about leading the AI-powered content revolution. “For me, it’s about AI-enabled Halo content becoming the norm – allowing marketers to deliver high-quality content at scale,” says Andrew. When asked what his barometer of success will be, he says, “It will mean that we have truly solved the content gap in an efficient, effective way, leveraging superior AI-driven solutions. There’s been a lot of hype around AI, but I believe we can be a real, proven solution that helps brands win in the marketplace.”

Brian agrees, adding a bird's-eye view. “The industry is in a moment of uncertainty. Everyone knows they need to embrace AI and automation, but they’re unsure of how to do it. There's this underlying anxiety because they see the train coming but don’t know how to get on board.”

Brian's goal is to make ITG the conductor of a revolutionary train — going to destinations that many have, until now, thought of as 'too far ahead', or pointblank impossible to reach. "We want to guide brands through the turbulent changes. In this moment of uncertainty, ITG has a proven solution that clients can use today to realise immediate value, steering them confidently toward success."

With curiosity and kindness in the driving seat, supported by innovative tech and a singular mission, ITG is gearing up to not just keep pace with industry change - but lead it.