• by Richard Whitman , Columnist, March 3, 2022

Digital media and marketing services firm Goodway Group has acquired Tuff a marketing agency that specializes in helping younger digitally-native brands such as Xendoo, Sabio, AKKO, and Thnks accelerate growth through digital channels.

The deal marks Goodway’s first M&A transaction and strengthens its capabilities across customer acquisition, content strategy, SEO and more. It also broadens the New York-based agency’s client base in eCommerce, D2C, SaaS, fintech and B2B.

According to the agency, the deal, which marks Goodway Group’s first acquisition, strengthens its professional marketing services for startups and supplements existing capabilities in customer acquisition, content strategy, search engine optimization and conversion rate optimization.

Founded in 2016 Tuff is led by CEO Ellen Jantsch, who started the business after holding senior marketing roles at thisopenspace, Adaptly and Nielsen.

Jantsch will continue as CEO of Tuff and will report to Jay Friedman, Goodway Group President. Tuff ’s brand and its full team will continue to operate independently as a division of Goodway Group.

Goodway, with a staff of over 400 in the U.S. and the UK, also said the transaction supports the planned expansion of its digital transformation consultancy CvE.

Dave Wolk, CEO, Goodway Group, said, “We share both values and workplace practices, with remote-first cultures built into the bench of our shops, making Tuff’s team, services and ethos a perfect fit for Goodway Group. Our shared values and passion for digital marketing, collaboration and client service played a big role in establishing this partnership.”