Peppercomm has acquired 20-year-old boutique consumer lifestyle shop Janine Gordon Associates, which will operate as a specialty unit of the New York-based firm.

janine gordonJanine Gordon is a former president of Saatchi & Saatchi's PR operation, which she established in 17 years on the corporate communications front with that ad agency, now part of Publicis. She founded JGA in 1993, handling clients like the 21 Club, Fruit of the Loom and Kiehl's Since 1851 with capabilities like branding, events, tradional and social media, and celebrity endorsements, among other offerings.

Peppercomm managing partner Ed Moed said the move is part of his firm's bid to be "deep category specialists" in certain areas. He said Gordon and Peppercomm share a similar approach to management, as well as a "sense of humor and work hard/play hard culture."

The newly minted JGAPeppercomm unit focuses on a spectrum of consumer lifestyle clients. Currently on the roster are Texas de Brazil, Sunrise-Soya Foods, Chanel's Holland & Holland division, Del Mar Development and Kiehl's.

Peppercomm, which topped $16.1M in revenue last year with more than 80 staffers, recently picked up the Mini Cooper account to complement a roster that includes TGI Fridays, WebMD and Ernst & Young.