NEW YORK, June 22—Most of the holding company owned public relations firms have sister companies that specialize in corporate identity, but Magnet Communications this week went one step further, acquiring corporate design and brand identity specialist Christopher Johnson & Associates, which will move into Magnet’s downtown New York offices and work alongside its existing team of public relations and special events professionals.

Magnet—owned by French holding company Havas—was created by the merger of midsize PR firms Creamer Dickson Basford and Kratz & Jensen and ACG Communications, which handles meetings and special events.

“I’m excited that we are now able to offer our clients communication via the written word, visual imagery, and experientially,” says David Kratz, the agency’s president and CEO. “Our focus is on assembling a team and suite of services that will bring unique value to our clients. This acquisition adds specific expertise in brand identity and design that will enhance the quality and effectiveness of the services we provide.”

Christopher Johnson & Associates, founded in 1990, has developed global brand identities and promotional campaigns for a variety of blue-chip clients including Nikon, Prudential, Jupiter Media Metrix, JetBlue, Merrill Lynch, Mastercard International, Hertz, CNN, OshKosh, Bloomberg, Food Network, ESPN, Pepsi, Limited, Ford Motor Company, Times Mirror, and Channel One.

“We’ve built a loyal clientele by design, design that captures the eye, delivers the message, and gets results,” said Christopher Johnson, who has been appointed senior vice president of Magnet’s newly formed design and identity division, reporting directly to Kratz.  “We were interested in expanding the scope and scale of our work, which we can now do as part of Magnet and the Havas Advertising network to which it belongs, in an environment that nurtures creativity, passion, and a commitment to service excellence.”
Kratz says he believes the resources of CJ&A will also help make Magnet’s own presentations more effective.