Toronto-based The Message has been acquired by fellow advertising news outlet Campaign, setting the path to expand its operations into the Canadian market.

The Message will initially be co-branded with Campaign before fully assuming the Campaign Canada brand early next year. Editors David Brown and Chris Powell – who co-founded the site in 2019 – will continue to run editorial operations and drive the transition, while Jess MacDermot, global portfolio director at Campaign parent company Haymarket Media Group, will lead day-to-day management. The deal also included buying out three of the site’s early backers: Stephen Brown, CEO of Fuse Create, Michael Girgis, co-founder of Big Digital and Dive Billboards, and Libby Begg, communications director with NABS and the site’s former publisher.

“By shining a light on the people and work that deserve to be spotlighted, while also making sure to ask questions and set expectations, The Message strives to ensure the Canadian industry keeps moving forward in positive ways,” Brown said in a press release, with Powell adding: “But for the Canadian industry to truly take the place it deserves on the world stage, we also needed to pay attention to what was happening there, to achieve that ‘Best-in-the-World’ standard. Becoming part of Campaign will help The Message achieve both of those goals.”

Based in the U.K., Campaign and parent company Haymarket Media Group also have sites for the U.S., Asia Pacific, Japan, China, India, Turkey and the Middle East. It has identified the “unique and fast growing” Canadian advertising market as the “core first focus” for a new expansion plan.

“Canada is set to become the sixth biggest advertising market by 2025 – it’s currently in eighth place,” said Kevin Costello, global CEO of Haymarket Media Group. “We know we are entering a market flooded with opportunities at the right time, as we undoubtedly see the industry will boom.”

To that end, Campaign also has plans to recruit local staff to support marketing, subscriptions, licences and business leadership functions, as well as additional editorial staff. Haymarket said in its announcement that it also has plans to eventually expand operations to include awards and conferences.