The deal, which comes hot on the heels of Schawk's acquisition of Untitled London, highlights the global pre-media giant's ongoing efforts to evolve its offering beyond its traditional strengths in advertising and packaging pre-press.

President and chief executive David Schawk said: "The acquisition of Real Branding is consistent with our strategy to enhance our delivery of brand management capabilities by deepening our aptitude and talent in the digital marketing space.

"This acquisition, in addition to Untitled London in the UK earlier this year, strengthens our ability to provide integrated strategic, creative and executional services across digital consumer touchpoints."

Real Branding was founded in 1994 and is focused on the field of digital communications for brands. Its clients include Unilever, Lipton, Disney, Michelob, Red Lobster and ABC.

Pat Hagerman, founder and managing director of Real Branding, said: "Schawk's structure, positioning and global footprint gives us access to a larger client base and the opportunity to apply our strategic and creative capabilities across a far greater spectrum of consumer interactions. It also enables us to compete on a much larger playing field and to leverage Schawk's expertise for the benefit of our clients."