C3 Creative Code and Content intends to continue leading the market as the most innovative provider of marketing services.
C3’s founders Rainer Burkhardt and Lukas Kircher are selling another 35 per cent of their content marketing network to partner Burda while continuing to manage it.
“In the booming market for content marketing today, C3 is a creative champion, which we want to expand further together with Lukas Kircher and Rainer Burkhardt, focusing on international growth.”
Philipp Welte, Burda board member
C3 is the result of a merger between Kircher Burkhardt and Burda Creative Group in 2014 and has become the European leader among content marketing agencies within only two years.
“This is a logical step towards achieving our ambitious international acquisitions as part of our growth strategy. Our aim is to make C3 the world’s leading content marketing network, which is able to meet the demand of global companies and brands from a single source”,
says Lukas Kircher.
“C3 links high-quality content to creativity and technology in a unique way. That C3 is increasingly able to succeed in international pitches shows that global brands like our agency model. Lukas Kircher and I will implement our common vision of a global network together with Burda as a strong partner”,
explains Rainer Burkhardt.
The company has been pursuing its aim to quickly become a global player in this rapidly growing market based on a consistent strategy of internationalization. C3 acquired the British agency Seven in London in 2016 and entered a strategic alliance with US market leader Meredith Xcelerated Marketing (MXM) in the same year. Together they founded the Global Content Marketing Network MXM//C3. C3 created more mainstays based on acquisitions and alliances in other European countries such as Slovenia. At the most important content marketing awards at Content Marketing World in Cleveland in September 2016, C3 won a prize as the world’s best content marketing agency.
Burda’s takeover of more shares is still subject to approval by the antitrust authorities, which is expected in the short term. Both parties agreed to maintain silence about the purchasing price.