http://adage.com/article/agency-news/rosetta-acquisition-means-digital-indie-akqa/227672/
Last fall, General Atlantic was reportedly
unable to find a buyer for AKQA, largely because of its asking price for the agency, according to one executive familiar with talks with Dentsu, the most likely buyer at the time.
Rosetta, too, had private equity backing from Lindsay Goldberg, which means, despite agency CEO Chris Kuenne being vocal about staying independent in the past, the company ultimately had one of two options: go public or sell. While Rosetta's $575 million price tag is competitive to what General Atlantic was asking for AKQA last year, some bankers point out that the two agencies are vastly different.
The agency's models are also vastly different. Rosetta claims a more consultative model, while AKQA is known for its high-end creative work and its new forays into digital-media buying and planning.
