Dentsu Aegis Buys Forbes Consulting Group

Marcoms giant Dentsu Aegis Network has acquired US-based full-service consumer insight firm Forbes Consulting Group. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Forbes Consulting was founded in 1985 and is based in Lexington, MA. The firm combines qual and quant research, consultation and ideation to explore links between psychology and business strategy, and provide insight into the emotional motivations that drive consumer behaviour.

The buy will give Dentsu Aegis access to Forbes' patented suite of applied neuroscience methods and its MindSight emotional assessment technologies. Forbes will become part of Dentsu Aegis' data-driven marketing strategy consultancy Copernicus, and founder David Forbes (pictured) will become the latter's Chief Innovation Officer.

Copernicus President and CEO Peter Krieg says the addition of Forbes' expertise in consumer insights will advance his firm's ability to provide clients with an understanding of what and why consumers buy, and help improve their marketing and innovation strategies. David Forbes adds: 'Our shared vision for the data-driven future of marketing, as well as our complementary sets of tools, capabilities, and values, makes this is a perfect match, and will increase our collective ability to guide better business and marketing decisions by our clients.'

Web sites: www.dentsuaegisnetwork.com and www.forbesconsulting.com .