The year 2022 saw numerous acquisitions and partnerships amongst companies and agencies across the Asia-Pacific. These acquisitions birthed lots of significant initiatives that geared up their respective industries for 2023.
Amongst these acquisitions, one snagged MARKETECH APAC’s Acquisition of the Year nod: ADK’s acquisition of Rage Communications. The Japan-headquartered company officially announced the acquisition in March 2022, which also came with the latter’s rebranding as ADK Rage.
To share more about the move, we talked to ADK’s Global Operations CEO Yasuyuki Katagi. In the interview, he shared some of the efforts done by ADK after the acquisition and how Rage has elevated the agency, amongst others.
How the acquisition helped ADK boost its solutions and capabilities
According to Katagi, ADK Connect, the digital-first creative and performance agency under ADK Global, has achieved a dramatic increase in its solutions and service capabilities following the acquisition. Moreover, the agency has also boosted its expertise in CX, digital technologies, and CRM through its exchange of talents and knowledge with ADK Rage.
He added, “For our clients, ADK Connect is their go-to for all marketing- and communications-related services, delivering outsized results with local expertise and Japanese marketing DNA. I am happy to say ADK Connect is strongly-positioned in the region’s market today.”
Katagi likewise shared notable initiatives done after the acquisition, such as having an elevated partnership with its network offices in Thailand, Taiwan, and Japan to deliver fully integrated solutions to their clients in CRM and eCommerce. He also added that this integrated strategy increased ADK’s pitch volume and new customer engagements by 25% across Asia in the last year.
On the agency’s growth in other markets
Apart from levelling up ADK’s capabilities, the acquisition was pegged as its milestone entry to the Indian and Australian markets. Truthfully so, ADK Rage’s cutting-edge digital technologies have helped ADK Connect widen the playing field for its business teams.
“Particularly in Australia and India, ADK Connect has blossomed into a full-service marketing solutions provider. I am grateful some key clients have recognised this; as a result, for these clients, we are transitioning our current work to a full-service solution in the coming months,” said Katagi.
Moreover, Katagi shared that the agency has appointed Clíona Manahan as its new general manager in Australia. He also shared ADK is establishing an Asia solutions business that will provide services in countries like China and Japan.
What’s next for ADK?
After all these achievements ADK has reached because of the acquisition, Katagi ensures that there’s more to look forward to from the company. One of them is the establishment of a global solutions centre in India that will leverage ADK’s technology, R&D, and high-quality production skills to provide scalable solutions for its clients.
Katagi added that a digital solutions cluster in Chennai is also in the works. He added, “Furthermore, we are devoted to being on the cutting edge of future technologies and trends, and we see considerable opportunity in areas such as artificial intelligence, CRO, and CX.”
ADK is also looking to develop their leadership teams with the appointment of Rie Otsuka as its chief growth officer and Neville Medhora as its chief transformation officer.
“Overall, we are optimistic that the combination of ADK Connect and ADK Rage will continue to drive growth and success in the ensuing years. We are eager to explore the numerous opportunities that await us,” Katagi concluded.
This recognition is based on the results of Google Analytics on the most-read stories of 2022 with editorial validation on the significance of a leader’s contribution, campaign results, and overall impact.
