Tag: Acquisition

Japan – Accenture has announced its agreement to acquire Yumemi, a Japan-based digital services and product provider, in a move that will significantly boost its ability to rapidly design and launch innovative digital products at scale for clients.

Founded in 2000, Yumemi has developed a wide range of digital products for more than 600 companies across various industries, serving an estimated 60 million monthly active users worldwide. The company is known for its “design engineering” approach, which brings designers and engineers together in integrated teams to accelerate product development and delivery.

Following the acquisition, Yumemi’s team of around 400 professionals in Japan will join Accenture Song, the company’s creative and technology arm.

Accenture said the move will enhance its ability to support clients throughout the digital product lifecycle by tapping into user insights and combining both firms’ strengths in data analytics and generative AI. The company added that demand for digital products continues to grow, as businesses seek new ways to engage customers and remain competitive.

By integrating Yumemi’s development model with its own AI-driven transformation capabilities, Accenture aims to offer end-to-end support in building, operating, and refining digital products at scale.

Atsushi Egawa, CEO of Accenture, Japan, and co-CEO for Asia-Pacific, explained, “By integrating Yumemi’s advanced capabilities, we will bolster our ability to help clients address critical business challenges by anticipating their needs and supporting the development of innovative new digital products. Yumemi’s growth is fuelled by its strong corporate culture and active engagement of its diverse talent, and its leaders prioritise the development of their people and cultivate a flexible, transparent environment, fostering new ideas and exceptional employee experiences.”

“Embracing Yumemi’s forward-thinking approaches and agility, we are committed to creating world-class digital products that significantly impact the market, driving transformation and competitiveness of enterprises in Japan and across the globe,” Egawa added.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions. Yumemi will become part of Accenture Song’s design and digital products unit, following its 2024 acquisition of Work & Co.

Toshiyuki Kataoka, CEO of Yumemi Inc., shared, “Accenture’s commitment to delivering on the promise of technology and human ingenuity perfectly aligns with our vision of ‘crafting timeless services to enhance people’s lives worldwide.’ By combining Accenture’s comprehensive offerings with our proven ‘design engineering’ expertise, unique and diverse employee culture, and strong customer community, we aim to accelerate the development of groundbreaking digital services that will transform industry norms.”

He continued, “We have immense respect for Accenture’s culture, which aligns harmoniously with our own. This perfect fit is destined to create remarkable synergy, enabling our teams to refine their skills and unlock new levels of value for our customers, employees, and business.”

Philippines – Investment holding company DoubleDragon has announced its acquisition of a 35% stake in retail company MerryMart Consumer Corp. The acquisition is valued at P1.28 billion.

DoubleDragon has disclosed its acquisition of 2.66 billion common shares of MerryMart at P0.48 per share, signalling its entry into the retail industry.

The move is aligned with DoubleDragon’s goal of reaching P500 billion in revenues by 2035, with MerryMart expected to add value to the investment holding company’s portfolio. Its current portfolio includes provincial community malls, office buildings, and hotels.

MerryMart’s annual revenues, reaching P7 billion, account for its essential retail ventures, including its grocery business and pharmacy subsidiaries.

The acquisition is part of DoubleDragon’s strategy to add long-term value to its business. It is in line with DoubleDragon’s transition from a real estate company to an investment holding company.

DoubleDragon Corporation shifted to its current name from DoubleDragon Properties Corp. in April 2021.

In a previous disclosure, DoubleDragon co-chairman Tony Tan Caktiong said, “DoubleDragon is now in an excellent position where it can capitalise on its strong balance sheet to add worthwhile investments outside of the property sector that would have massive growth potential. I am personally excited for what the future holds for the new DoubleDragon.”

Caktiong and Edgar Injap Sia II, chairman of DoubleDragon, are both behind major household brands in the Philippines, including fast food chains Jollibee and Mang Inasal, respectively.

London, United Kingdom – WPP today announced the acquisition of InfoSum, the world’s leading data collaboration platform. InfoSum will join GroupM, WPP’s media investment group, to power the creation of a new generation of AI-enhanced marketing solutions for clients, delivered through the industry’s most powerful and secure data infrastructure. 

The acquisition is a major strategic step forward for WPP’s AI-driven data offer, giving WPP and its clients immediate access to the industry’s largest cross-platform source of privacy-safe, actionable data for marketing intelligence, audience targeting, and AI model training. 

InfoSum’s patented cross-cloud data collaboration technology radically transforms the way companies generate audience intelligence by making it possible to connect data sources across the marketing ecosystem without moving or exposing data. By integrating InfoSum’s capabilities with WPP Open – WPP’s intelligent marketing operating system – WPP clients can safely unlock the full potential of their customer data, enriched through advanced AI. 

Now, using federated learning techniques, WPP clients will be able to generate new marketing intelligence based on their first-party data and the universe of data signals available to them through the InfoSum network, WPP’s data assets, and GroupM’s media intelligence. Clients can rapidly build, train, and deploy custom AI models that utilise these diverse datasets, generating insights and audiences instantly, optimising campaigns across the entire marketing ecosystem, and delivering measurable improvements in campaign performance within hours rather than weeks. 

Moreover, the acquisition accelerates WPP’s creation of ‘Intelligence Beyond Identity’ for clients, enabling marketers to use 100% of their business intelligence and leapfrog traditional identity-based solutions that depend on decades-old, deteriorating databases weakened by cookie deprecation, platform fragmentation, and splintering audience match rates. 

Mark Read, CEO of WPP, said, “At WPP, we have been building the technology and data infrastructure that will give our clients a unique competitive advantage in the AI era. Bringing InfoSum into WPP is a major step forward for our data capabilities and the results we can deliver for our clients. It allows clients to stay in complete control of their first-party data, while also giving them access to vastly greater quantities of high-quality, privacy-compliant data and pioneering technology that is not available anywhere else in the market today.” 

Meanwhile, Brian Lesser, CEO of GroupM, commented, “Directly integrating InfoSum’s global data network and technology infrastructure will allow our clients to create even more value from their first-party data and enable us to train client AI models against the most data, from the most places, at unprecedented scale and speed. Our approach recognises the importance of identity data to today’s marketing strategies while allowing us to take advantage of the limitless opportunities for growth we can create by moving beyond them. As more and more clients leverage our AI-first solutions, every client model, every audience, and every campaign will benefit from network effects that will exponentially increase their intelligence and competitive advantage.”

InfoSum’s extensive global data network represents hundreds of billions of data signals across multiple dimensions of data from media platforms including Channel 4, DIRECTV, ITV, Netflix, News Corp, and Samsung Ads, as well as major retailers around the world and identity and data partners including Experian, TransUnion, Circana, Dynata, and NCSolutions.

Lauren Wetzel, CEO of InfoSum, added, “InfoSum’s mission has always been to reimagine how data powers marketing in a secure, privacy-first, and, most importantly, impactful way for advertisers and consumers. WPP and GroupM are the perfect partners to help us accelerate our impact on a truly global scale. We couldn’t be more excited to join forces with the team at GroupM as privacy and security become non-negotiables, and AI allows us to redefine what’s possible for advertisers and our network of media and data partners.” 

InfoSum’s technology enables WPP clients to swiftly deploy secure data environments optimised for federated learning, allowing marketers to rapidly scale their custom AI models and onboard their data faster and more easily than ever before. InfoSum’s infrastructure will remain interoperable with existing platforms and partners to ensure current and future customers can continue driving growth through secure data collaboration.

United States – TechCrunch, the influential tech news and analysis platform, has transitioned to new ownership, with private equity firm Regent acquiring it from Yahoo.

According to a post by editor-in-chief and general manager Connie Loizos, the financial terms of the sale remain undisclosed. However, TechCrunch emphasised that the deal with Regent is designed to ensure minimal disruption to its operations.

Aside from relocating offices, the company will see no major changes, with its current team of journalists remaining in place.

TechCrunch was part of Verizon’s media assets, including Yahoo. In 2021, Apollo Global Management acquired these assets for $5b and rebranded them under Yahoo.

With the latest ownership change, TechCrunch joins Regent’s expanding media portfolio. Notably, Regent has been growing its presence in tech media, recently acquiring Foundry—the parent company of PCWorld, Macworld, InfoWorld, CIO, and TechAdvisor—according to Reuters.

“As close followers of TechCrunch already know, this isn’t our first rodeo when it comes to new ownership. But what mattered most in this transition was ensuring that our team retains the freedom and support to do what we do best. With Regent, we have exactly that,” Loizos wrote. 

Loizos also noted that Yahoo is retaining a small stake in TechCrunch rather than cutting ties entirely. She explained that Yahoo opted to sell TechCrunch because its focus and approach differ from the rest of Yahoo’s portfolio, which includes Yahoo Sports, Yahoo News, and Yahoo Finance.

“My personal thanks to Yahoo CEO Jim Lanzone, who has been an incredible mentor and sounding board and to whom I’m deeply grateful. So to Yahoo, thank you for standing by us through some tougher times. And to Regent, we love your enthusiasm for what we do, and we’re excited to embark on this next chapter with you,” she remarked. 

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Catcha Digital has announced that it has entered into a conditional share sale agreement to acquire a 51% equity interest in Digital Symphony, a data-driven digital marketing consultancy, for a cash consideration of RM22.95m.

The acquisition is the latest that Catcha Digital had undertaken, following the recent acquisition of FrameMotion earlier this month, as well as Tastefully Malaysia in late 2024.

The acquisition provides significant cross-selling opportunities between Catcha Digital’s existing advertising client base and Digital Symphony’s clientele. Catcha Digital and its subsidiaries will be able to offer Digital Symphony’s data-driven performance marketing solutions to its clients, while Digital Symphony can leverage Catcha Digital’s extensive digital media ecosystem and broad reach to enhance its offerings. 

Moreover, this data-driven synergy is expected to accelerate growth for both entities, giving advertisers a more intelligent, and results-focused approach to digital marketing.

Patrick Grove, chairman at Catcha Digital, said, “Kuhan and his team have built a company that doesn’t just run ads—it runs highly optimised, datadriven campaigns that deliver real, measurable impact. With this acquisition, we’re doubling down on the power of data, automation, and machine learning to create even better solutions for advertisers. The combination of Digital Symphony’s result-driven performance marketing and Catcha Digital’s extensive audience reach is a game-changer for brands looking to scale their digital presence.”

Launched in 2017 by Kuhan Kumar, Digital Symphony is a data-driven digital marketing consultancy that operates in Malaysia and Singapore. It specialises in performance marketing, leveraging automation, data analytics, and custom software solutions to help brands achieve their digital advertising goals. 

The company offers solutions designed to enhance digital advertising efficiency through proprietary software and machine learning solutions. Digital Symphony operates in key industries, including property development, automotive, and education, helping brands execute precision-targeted digital campaigns.

Speaking about the acquisition, Kuhar commented, “Since our inception, we’ve been focused on delivering results for our clientele. The digital landscape moves fast, and the brands that succeed are the ones that can harness technology and data to make smarter marketing decisions. Partnering with Catcha Digital allows us to take our marketing solutions to the next level, reaching more advertisers and delivering even greater value. We’re excited about what’s ahead and look forward to pushing the boundaries of performance marketing together.”

Singapore – Klick Health, an independent healthcare marketing agency, has acquired the Singapore operations of creative healthcare agency Ward6. 

Klick’s acquisition aims to expand the Singaporean health communications agency further, which is renowned in the healthcare marketing industry.

The acquisition also strengthens Klick’s capabilities in the Asia-Pacific (APAC). The addition to its client portfolio is part of the agency’s ongoing global expansion.

“We are proud to welcome our newest Singaporean Klicksters to the world’s largest and most integrated independent healthcare marketing agency, not to mention the most-awarded of all healthcare agencies last year. We’re also very excited to work with their impressive roster of pharmaceutical and consumer health clients to deliver even more expertise, passion, and value to their businesses,” Graeme Read, Klick Health managing director, APAC, said.

Ari Schaefer, Klick Health president, commented, “We’ve been focused on bringing the Klick magic to more life sciences clients in Asia Pacific since expanding here over two years ago. Ward6 Singapore has deep expertise in HCP marketing in the region and we are excited they are joining us to further scale our team and answer the growing demand we’re seeing from clients.”

“We are immensely proud of the work we have accomplished during our 14 years in Singapore. We were flattered when Klick leadership approached us and are delighted that our team will continue to excel as part of Klick Health and its expanded Singapore operations. Both our organizations share a commitment to fostering outstanding work environments and advancing the life sciences sector,” Stuart Black, Ward6 CEO, said.

Recently, Klick announced its acquisition of Peregrine Market Access, a communications specialist in life sciences in the U.S.

Klick, established in 1997, offers marketing and advertising along with other services to life sciences brands. Its headquarters is located in Toronto, Canada.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Catcha Digital has announced that iMedia, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Catcha Digital, has entered into a conditional share sale agreement to acquire a majority shareholding of 60% in FrameMotion, an integrated digital media solution provider.

This strategic acquisition combines Catcha Digital’s digital advertising solutions with FrameMotion’s immersive digital marketing capabilities in producing digital content leveraging on virtual reality and augmented reality technology to augment both online and offline advertising experiences. This transaction is also expected to contribute positively to Catcha Digital’s earnings in the future.

FrameMotion specialises in experiential marketing, brand activations, production of digital content and physical events for immersive experiences by leveraging on virtual reality and augmented reality technology, across Southeast Asia and other countries. 

Speaking on the business move, Patrick Grove, chairman at Catcha Digital, said, “We are very excited about this acquisition and believe that integrating FrameMotion’s cutting-edge expertise with our wide network will enable us to offer highly innovative and integrated solutions to clients across the region. We can’t wait to push the boundaries of digital storytelling with the FrameMotion team.”

Meanwhile, Jeand Pua Yin Chye, co-founder and CEO of FrameMotion, commented, “This deal with Catcha Digital is a game-changer for our company. Their acquisition not only validates our creative vision but also accelerates our ability to deliver world-class digital experiences. We look forward to integrating with Catcha Digital’s broad suite of digital solutions to elevate our offerings to clients of both parties.”

Catcha Digital previously acquired a 70% interest in Tastefully Malaysia for RM7.6m. Said stake acquisition marked Catcha Digital’s ambition to continue growing its integrated digital media business to provide an omnichannel online-to-offline advertising solutions to its client base.

Paris, France – Global advertising giant Publicis Groupe is set to acquire independent end-to-end data solution company Lotame, with the company set to be positioned as part of Epsilon, a global advertising and marketing technology company that is part of the Publicis family.

The combined data and identity assets of Lotame and Publicis Groupe’s 2.3 billion global profiles will enable clients to reach 91% of adult internet users with personalised messaging at scale with even greater accuracy.

Moreover, the combined footprint of Epsilon and Lotame will expand Groupe’s unique profiles to almost 4 billion, extending global coverage to more than 90% of consumers worldwide. This scale combined with unmatched breadth and depth of data allows marketers to find and activate against the right audiences with even greater accuracy, to engage their consumers in more relevant and meaningful ways. 

It is also worth noting that Lotame’s 19 years of earned data expertise and trusted innovation, coupled with its team of experts across data and identity, will power global and local-market product development, supported by dedicated engineering, partnerships, and operations specialists.

Lastly, Lotame will drive APAC and EMEA expansion of Epsilon, continuing to work with publishers, data partners, and brands across the regions. 

Led by founder and CEO Andy Monfried, Lotame will be positioned as part of Epsilon, accessible to all Publicis clients and teams to enhance their ability to deliver personalised marketing services at scale. 

Arthur Sadoun, chairman and CEO Publicis Groupe, said, “In the age of AI, the name of the game is connect or die. By connecting Lotame to Epsilon, we’re reinforcing our industry-leading identity graph,  giving clients the unique competitive advantage of seeing and engaging with 91% of all adults who use the internet, safely and transparently.

He added, “By connecting that best-in-class identity to our clients’ data thanks to AI, and leveraging it across their marketing spectrum, from their PESO media ecosystem to content production, all in their owned environments, we are truly delivering measurable outcomes for their business. It’s how we are making CoreAI a reality, and how we’ve built a category of one for Publicis that means today we are the world’s largest advertising group, leading the industry on every KPI.”

Arthur further added, “As we continue to invest in the products, services and talent that drive differentiation and growth for our clients, I couldn’t be happier to welcome Andy and the outstanding teams at Lotame on board.”

Meanwhile, Andy commented, “We have a rich history of innovation, building out our global data marketplace and scaling our identity solution to become among the most trusted and adopted in the industry. We are beyond thrilled to join Publicis Groupe, who shares our commitment to industry interoperability, connectivity, and privacy. Together with Epsilon, we look forward to delivering the next chapter of connected identity for Publicis.”

It is worth noting that this acquisition comes in light of advertising-driven acquisitions, with T-Mobile recently acquiring Vistar Media and Blis to bolster their advertising solutions offering in the USA and globally. Moreover, Publicis’ desire to acquire Lotame also comes after Publicis Worldwide and Leo Burnette have consolidated their networks to form a new entity aptly named ‘Leo’.

India – Media and entertainment company Connekkt Media has acquired Mob Scene, a Hollywood marketing agency known for its work on major blockbuster campaigns, as part of its international expansion.

With this acquisition, Connekkt Media expands its presence in the global media and entertainment industry, adding to its existing operations in Los Angeles, Mumbai, Dubai, and Delhi NCR. It also marks the company’s entry into the U.S. and North American markets. 

Greg Bedrosian and Mohit Pareek of global tech investment bank Drake Star managed the deal on behalf of Mob Scene.

Tom Grane, co-founder & CEO of Mob Scene, shared, “Joining forces with Connekkt Media marks an exciting new chapter for Mob Scene. Their cutting-edge media technology and deep understanding of global entertainment align perfectly with our creative vision. This partnership will allow us to push the boundaries of storytelling, expand our reach into dynamic new markets, and continue delivering innovative, emotionally compelling campaigns that resonate with audiences worldwide.”

A known creative force for nearly two decades, Mob Scene has worked on the marketing campaigns for major Hollywood films and series, including Avatar, Dune, Barbie, Jurassic World, The Last of Us, Puss in Boots, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and A Complete Unknown. The agency has also contributed to campaigns for franchises such as Fast & Furious, Stranger Things, Kung Fu Panda, and Minions.

Highlighting the importance of the acquisition, Varun Mathur, co-founder of Connekkt Media, said, “Mob Scene is the gold standard in Hollywood film marketing, and we are beyond thrilled to join forces with them to bring their creative marketing capability to partners across the UK, Europe, the Middle East, India, and the rest of Asia.” 

Mathur continued, “As a global media company with its origin in India, this acquisition marks a strategic expansion for us into the US and the rest of North America. With the unique combination of Mob Scene’s industry-leading creative marketing capability and our class-leading technology, we will be able to deliver outstanding value to our clients and consumers by driving targeted and measurable marketing impact across mediums, geographies, and formats.”

Australia – Experiential marketing agency The Company We Keep (The CWK) has been acquired by Opus Agency, a global events and experiential marketing agency, in a move that strengthens Opus Agency’s presence in the Asia-Pacific region. 

With offices in Australia, Singapore, and New Zealand, and a team of more than 80, The CWK adds regional expertise to Opus Agency, supporting its ability to manage events and brand experiences across international markets.

With this acquisition, Opus Agency, part of The Opus Group, expands its presence in key international markets. Partnering with The CWK broadens its capabilities in event execution and experiential marketing, supporting brands in delivering cross-border initiatives and engaging with their audiences more effectively.

Speaking on the acquisition, Nigel Ruffell, founder and CEO of The CWK, commented, “The alignment between Opus Agency and The CWK is remarkable—from our shared clients like Salesforce to our creative capabilities and our cultural ethos. This partnership opens up new opportunities for our team, our clients, and our future, as we continue to lead in the APAC region while contributing to Opus Agency’s global success.” 

Moving forward, Opus Agency and The CWK will work together to develop event and experiential marketing strategies for international audiences. By combining client relationships, scalable talent, and regional expertise, the partnership aims to support brands in navigating cross-border engagements and evolving market demands.

Dena Lowery, president of Opus Agency, explained, “This acquisition enables us to better serve our clients in the world’s fastest-growing and largest cities, while also enhancing our capabilities with deeper expertise in content, broadcast, and film. It’s a strategic move that strengthens our ability to deliver high-impact, future-forward experiences across the globe.” 

Kim Kopetz, president and CEO of The Opus Group, also shared, “This acquisition aligns with The Opus Group’s mission to provide global access to scalable resources and specialised talent across our network of brands. It enables us to navigate complex challenges and scale operations efficiently while creating new growth opportunities for our clients and our team members around the world.”