Jack Morton Worldwide acquires Boston digital agency Genuine Interactive

Genuine Interactive employs 100 and develops Internet offerings such as websites and mobile apps. The firm generated revenues of $15 million last year and counts Lysol, Titleist, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, among clients.

Founded in 2005, Genuine Interactive is a digital agency that provides digital strategy, web design and development, mobile, social media, analytics, innovative technology services, and an in-house studio to engage audiences across all digital channels. The independent full service agency is known for successfully combining business goals and engagement strategies to create game-changing digital experiences for its clients. Clients include Reckitt Benckiser, MassMutual, Shire and Novartis. Genuine Interactive is based in Boston.

http://betaboston.com/news/2014/05/06/jack-morton-worldwide-acquires-boston-digital-agency-genuine-interactive/

Sapient Buys Campfire

http://adage.com/article/agency-news/sapient-continues-agency-acquisition-spree-campfire/292356/

SapientNitro has acquired Campfire, a digital creative boutique and its second agency purchase of the year.

Campfire joins a handful of SapientNitro acquisitions over the past few years. In 2011, SapientNitro bought Clanmo, a mobile shop based in Cologne, Germany. Later that year, it acquired D&D Holdings, a London-based ad agency. In 2012, it set its sights on the U.S., acquiring Portland, Ore.-based digital agency Second Story and mPhasize, a marketing analytics company in Westport, Conn. And in January it bought Hispanic marketing shop La Comunidad.

"A lot has been around elevating the creative product and creative reputation," said Gaston Legorburu, executive director and worldwide chief creative officer at Sapient. Mr. Legorburu spearheaded the latest acquisition. "What's interesting is the combination of technology and brand. Second Story was at the forefront of that."

http://blogs.wsj.com/cmo/2014/03/28/sapientnitro-buys-creative-shop-campfire/

Lake Capital Buys Engine Group in Effort to Create Agency Holding Group

http://adage.com/article/agency-news/lake-capital-buys-engine-start-agency-holding-group/294391/

hicago-based private equity firm Lake Capital wants to build an agency-services holding company, starting with the acquisition of London-based agency network Engine Group, whose portfolio includes Deep Focus, Noise and others.

"Our thesis is that pre- and post- the Omnicom-Publicis merger and lack of completion, there's a real opportunity to create a middle-market player in the space," said Lake Capital Co-founder Terry Graunke. He said the group considers mid-market to be an operation with $500 million to $2 billion in revenue.

Matthews International Agrees to Buy Schawk for $523.6 Million

• Matthews International’s $592 million purchase of publicly-traded agency and marketing services company Schawk at a valuation of 1.3x revenue and 11.1x EBITDA

Matthews International Corp. MATW -0.20% on Monday said it agreed to acquire brand-development company Schawk Inc. SGK -0.15% for $523.6 million in cash and stock.

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303563304579445062301999616

Matthews  had $985.3 million in sales in its last fiscal year, the most in its history. The company has two major divisions, memoralization and cemetery/funeral home products (52.5 percent of revenue) and brand solutions (47.5 percent). SGK  had revenue of $442.6 million in the year ended Dec. 31, 2013. Combined, it totals about $910 million for brand solutions in the merged company, larger than the memorialization division.

Dentsu Aegis Plans to Acquire Experiential Agency MKTG for $52 Million

The move marks the Japanese ad giant's first U.S. acquisition since completing its acquisition of media and digital agency network Aegis last March. The deal is expected to close during the third quarter of 2014. Among MKTG's clients are Google, P&G and Diageo.

"It's about activating close to the point of purchase," said Nigel Morris, CEO of Dentsu Aegis Network Americas. "It's on strategy, we were really impressed with the management, and we can integrate it quickly."

http://adage.com/article/agency-news/dentsu-aegis-set-acquire-experiential-shop-mktg/293425/

• Dentsu Aegis Network’s $45 million acquisition of promotion agency MKTG at a valuation of 0.3x revenue and 12.8x EBITDA

CAA Acquires Experiential Marketing Group PGW

PGW, launched as Promotions Group West in 1998, also provides clients with a range of other marketing options covering lifestyle, guerilla, grassroots, mobile, event production and buzz and viral marketing services.

Terms of the acquisition of the 165-person agency, headed by Russ Jones, were not disclosed. Among the clients PGW worked with include ABC, McDonald’s, Paramount Pictures, MGM, Dreamworks, Wells Fargo, Washington Mutual, Disney, Fox Home Entertainment, BBDO, Dailey Advertising and the California Lottery.

http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/caa-acquires-experiential-marketing-group-pgw-158509

Merkle Acquires Rimm-Kaufman Group For Its Data-Driven Talent As A Media Agency

The acquisition adds about 220 RKG employees to Merkle's 2,200, including RKG president Adam Audette, co-founder and chief marketing scientist George Michie, and CEO George Gallate.

RKG will continue to support clients as a stand-alone company, for now, but the long-term plan is to build out an integrated platform beginning in 2015, per Michie, who made it clear in the past that the company wasn't looking for a new owner.

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/229252/merkle-acquires-rimm-kaufman-group-for-its-data-dr.html

Publicis Buys eCommerce Firm Crown Partners

http://blogs.wsj.com/cmo/2014/07/01/publicis-buys-ecommerce-firm-crown-partners/

Crown has more than 150 employees and counts Land’s End, Keurig-Green Mountain and GlaxoSmithKline as clients. The company has posted a 40% annualized revenue growth rate since it was founded in 2001, though Crown Chief Executive Richard Hearn said the firm is growing faster than that right now. Mr. Hearn said technology has played a bigger part in front office operations to boost revenues in the last three to five years.

Mobile advertising leads growth;

Total US Ad Spending to See Largest Increase Since 2004

Mobile advertising leads growth; will surpass radio, magazines and newspapers this year

http://www.emarketer.com/Article/Total-US-Ad-Spending-See-Largest-Increase-Since-2004/1010982

Amobee Buys Adconion For $235M And Kontera For $150M In Consolidation Play

http://techcrunch.com/2014/06/10/amobee-buys-adconion-for-235m-and-kontera-for-150m-in-consolidation-play/

Another day, and another two big acquisitions in the digital advertising industry. Amobee, a mobile ad company acquired by Singapore’s main carrier SingTel two years ago for $321 million, is buying up not one but two other companies to build out its position in the wider digital ads space: It’s gobbling up Adconion and Kontera, for $235 million and $150 million, respectively.

“The digital advertising business is about scale and capitalizing on the market opportunities with technology as a core differentiator,” said Mark Strecker, CEO of Amobee. “With these two acquisitions announced today, we have extended our product offerings, increased our sales footprint and reinforced Amobee’s leadership position in the fast growing digital advertising market.”

One Advertising acquires Brandworks

Following last summer’s merger of 58Ninety and Due North to create One Advertising, the Toronto agency has merged with Brandworks, a 19-year-old independent Toronto shop.

The acquisition will make One one of the largest independent shops in the country, according a release, and bolster the agency’s ability to compete against multinationals.

“It made sense to join another strong, independent Canadian shop,” said Lorne Kirshenbaum, principal director for Brandworks, in the release. “Together we could offer our clients greater depth across all disciplines.”

There were no client conflicts as a result of the merger. Brandworks’ client list includes Nikon and Queen’s School of Business, while One works with Workopolis, the LCBO and H&R Block. Both agencies worked with OLG prior to the merger.

Read more: http://strategyonline.ca/2013/04/11/one-advertising-acquires-brandworks/#ixzz2VSjwf2mN

http://strategyonline.ca/2013/04/11/one-advertising-acquires-brandworks/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=one-advertising-acquires-brandworks

Sapient Acquires (m)PHASIZE

January 10, 2013

Sapient (NASDAQ: SAPE), today announced the acquisition of (m)PHASIZE, a leader in the fast-emerging field of cross-channel marketing analytics. (m)PHASIZE helps senior executives to better plan their marketing investments against the backdrop of dramatic changes to media and marketing allocation driven by the rise of digital channels and an increasingly connected consumer. 

The move establishes Sapient as a go-to partner for its clients needing strategic advice to better navigate the range of channels and choices that now confront marketing executives. (m)PHASIZE brings a strategic, data-driven approach to Sapient’s offerings, with immediate applicability to SapientNitro clients.

http://www.sapient.com/en-us/news/press-releases/a2070.html

Accenture to acquire Acquity Group

Global consultancy Accenture has agreed to buy digital agency Acquity Group for approximately $316 million, or $13 per share.

Acquity Group provides strategy, digital marketing and technical services. If the deal is approved by Acquity shareholders, the agency will become part of Accenture Interactive, which offers marketing, technology and analytics solutions. Acquity Group's more than 600 employees are expected to join Accenture Interactive.

Acquity Group, which posted 2012 revenue of $141 million, began trading on the New York Stock Exchange in April 2012. Accenture's revenue for the 12 months ended Aug. 31, 2012, was $27.9 billion.




http://www.btobonline.com/article/20130520/MANAGEMENT07/305209998/accenture-to-acquire-acquity-group?utm_source=daily&utm_medium=email&utm_content=editorial&utm_campaign=daily#email_daily

Aegis Media buys performance marketing company nvi

Digital communications company Aegis Media has acquired nvi, a Canadian company specializing in search and digital performance marketing strategies. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

nvi will be blended into Aegis' digital performance agency iProspect. The deal is the latest acquisition to expand iProspect: In October, Aegis acquired Hablar, a Tokyo-based performance and search agency, and in August bought Communicate 2, a digital and search marketing agency based in India.

Aegis itself was acquired last July by agency holding company Dentsu Inc.




http://www.btobonline.com/article/20130503/MANAGEMENT07/305039996/aegis-media-buys-performance-marketing-company-nvi?utm_source=daily&utm_medium=email&utm_content=editorial&utm_campaign=daily#email_daily

Nielsen Expositions sold to Onex for $950 million

Onex Corp. is buying Nielsen Expositions, an affiliate of Nielsen Holdings, for $950 million in cash. Toronto-based Onex is a private equity firm with approximately $15 billion of assets under management.

The deal is expected to close in the current quarter.

Kosty Gilis, an Onex managing director, said in a statement that the firm will partner with Nielsen Expositions' management team to expand existing trade shows and strengthen its position through select acquisitions.

“Nielsen is committed to investing in and developing capabilities across our Watch and Buy segments,” said Brian West, CFO of Nielsen, in a release. “Divesting the Expositions business allows us to focus on these core areas that provide our clients with a comprehensive understanding of consumers while providing more flexibility to return capital to our shareholders over time.”

http://www.btobonline.com/article/20130506/MEDIABUSINESS03/130509993/nielsen-expositions-sold-to-onex-for-950-million?utm_source=daily&utm_medium=email&utm_content=editorial&utm_campaign=daily#email_daily

Accenture acquires Fjord

http://adage.com/article/agency-news/agencies-accenture-s-invading-turf-big-time/241338/

Accenture is trying harder than ever to give agencies a run for their money, as evidenced by the consultant's latest buy, London-based design firm Fjord.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The move is part of Accenture's effort to bolster its design chops as it takes on more digital work for big marketers, such as luxury automaker BMW.

Olof Schybergson, Mark Curtis and Mike Beeston founded Fjord in 2001 in London and have expanded its headcount to about 200 employees. The firm has offices in the U.S. and Europe. Clients include the BBC, Citibank, Harvard Medical School, Nokia, PayPal, Qualcomm and Telefónica.

SPAR Group Acquires New York-Based Merchandising & Audit Business From Market Force Information

http://investors.sparinc.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=749464

SPAR Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: SGRP) (the "Company" or "SPAR Group"), a leading supplier of retail merchandising and other marketing services throughout the United States and internationally, today announced that it is expanding its domestic business with the acquisition of general merchandising and certain in-store audit services from Market Force Information, a leading customer intelligence solution provider. Adding these two New York-based merchandising businesses will allow the Company to expand its existing client base while providing an introduction into a new line of in-store audit services. The acquired businesses are expected to generate incremental annualized revenue in the range of $7 to $8 million.

McMurry And TMG Merge, Create Largest Independent Content Marketing Provider

McMurry and TMG Custom Media, two industry-leading content marketing pioneers, have merged to create the nation's largest independent full-service content marketing agency. The transaction creates a company with annual revenues of close to $100 million, 270 employees, hundreds of clients, and offices in New York City, Washington, Phoenix and Saratoga Springs, N.Y. The Wicks Group of Companies, a 23-year-old New York private equity firm, worked with the agencies to engineer the transaction and has taken a majority ownership stake in the new company, which will be called McMurry/TMG, LLC. No further financial details of the deal were disclosed.

Matt Petersen, formerly TMG Custom Media's president, has been named the combined company's CEO, and Fred Petrovsky, who had been McMurry's president, is its COO. Keith Sedlak, who was senior vice president, client partnerships, at TMG, has been named chief revenue officer. Chris McMurry, former CEO of McMurry, and Jane Ottenberg and Richard Creighton, founders of TMG, retain a minority interest in the combined company and will continue to be involved.

"The joining of these two financially strong, growing and award-winning companies instantly positions McMurry/TMG as a content marketing industry heavyweight," said Mr. Petersen. "Content is the new marketing currency and its importance continues to grow. Marketers are harnessing content's ability to reach and engage key constituencies in a measurable way across a spectrum of online and offline platforms — from magazines and other content platforms to every type of digital, video, mobile, search and social media experience. The combined capabilities of these two long-time leaders in the field will be a compelling proposition to existing and potential clients."

The new company will provide a comprehensive range of content marketing services, including content strategy, content creation in all popular forms, content distribution and campaign analytics, to an array of businesses, associations and institutions. The companies' current clients include hundreds of businesses and nonprofits in fields like healthcare and education, financial services, travel and hospitality, e-commerce and luxury goods. The roster includes a large number of Fortune 500 companies and well-known consumer brands.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/mcmurry-tmg-merge-create-largest-150100632.html

Cundari acquires Quizative Digital

Cundari has announced its acquisition of Quizative, effective immediately. The Quizative staff will be amalgamated into Cundari’s Toronto office, along with its client base.

Adrian Capobianco, managing director of digital, and Allison Laux, VP digital, strategic business director will remain with the company.

The deal has been in the works for the past few months, says Aldo Cundari, chairman and CEO of Cundari, and is part of the agency’s rapid expansion plans, which includes an on-going hiring blitz. Quizative, a digital boutique, will be absorbed into the Cundari brand to bolster the agency’s digital offerings. “They do great work. They were looking to expand themselves and grow, so it was a great fit,” says Cundari.

Cundari’s string of award wins this year, including two Cannes Lions in mobile and top prize at the recent CMA awards, appealed greatly to Quizative’s existing clients, which include Jamieson Vitamins, Panasonic and Canadian Management Centre.


Read more: http://strategyonline.ca/2013/01/08/cundari-acquires-quizative-digital/#ixzz2KKAvHriC

Triad Retail Media sold to Rockbridge Growth Equity

Founded in 2004, Tampa-based Triad Retail Media (www.triadretail.com) is the market leader in creating, managing, and operating digital retail media programs for highly-trafficked retail websites. Triad’s retail partners include Walmart, Sam’s Club, eBay, Toys“R”Us, CVS, and many other leading retailers. 

Triad has twice been named one of the fastest-growing private companies in the U.S. by Inc. Magazine. Triad employs more than 300 team members in more than six offices in the United States, including Tampa, Florida (headquarters); Orlando; Rogers, Arkansas; Chicago; New York; and San Jose.

Triad was previously owned by CEO/founder Greg Murtagh, president/COO Roger Berdusco, and an affiliate of H.I.G Growth Partners. Following the transaction, Murtagh and Berdusco will remain in their current positions as chief executive officer and chief operating officer of Triad, and will also continue to be equity partners with Rockbridge.  

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/detroit-based-rockbridge-growth-equity-adds-triad-retail-media-to-growing-tech-portfolio-186307981.html