Highwire announced it has acquired The Bliss Group, combining two independent agencies in a bid to build a more integrated marketing and communications partner focused on linking reputation and demand programs to measurable business outcomes. Financial terms were not disclosed.
The combined firm will employ more than 250 professionals across North America and position itself as a full-funnel partner spanning brand and positioning strategy, integrated marketing and demand generation, strategic communications and executive visibility, creative production, and data-driven intelligence and analytics powered by AI-enabled tooling.
Highwire CEO Michael O’Brien said the deal is intended to meet rising client demand for tighter integration between communications strategy and growth execution, particularly as organizations face faster product cycles, more fragmented media channels, and heightened scrutiny around corporate trust and performance.
As part of the integration, Bliss CEO Cortney Stapleton will become Highwire’s Chief Strategy and Business Officer, a newly created role. She will lead performance and go-to-market strategy across Highwire’s sector teams and will join the company’s board.
The companies are also consolidating their healthcare capabilities under Highwire Health, bringing together Highwire’s existing healthcare practice with Bliss Bio Health. The expanded offering will cover areas including consumer health, digital health, healthcare delivery, life sciences, and medtech. Michael Roth, a managing partner at Bliss, will assume the roles of General Counsel and Executive Chair of Highwire Health.
Highwire said its broader platform is designed to support companies operating at the intersection of technology, regulation, and brand risk, where it believes clarity, credibility, and precision are increasingly critical to market influence and growth. The agency noted it secured a strategic investment from Shamrock Capital in 2022.
Support: GP Bullhound served as exclusive financial advisor to The Bliss Group.
KEY QUOTES:
“Uniting Highwire and Bliss answers the need for partners who can turn complexity into competitive advantage, and innovation into measurable influence. Clients want sharper thinking, integrated execution, and partners who move as fast as their business demands. The combined power of our agencies will deliver that in spades for current and future client partners.”
Michael O’Brien, CEO, Highwire
“Highwire and Bliss were built on shared foundations of deep industry insight, trusted client partnerships, and a belief in the power of storytelling to drive real business outcomes. By bringing our teams and capabilities together, we’re creating something bigger and bolder: a platform where our clients get more value, our people have more opportunities, and our work delivers even greater impact.”
Cortney Stapleton, CEO, The Bliss Group (Incoming Chief Strategy and Business Officer, Highwire)
