Merkle Enters Indian Market with Sokrati Acquisition

Data-based marketing agency Merkle has expanded to India, through the acquisition of big data marketing and analytics specialist Sokrati. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Founded in 2009, Sokrati is headquartered in Pune and employs a staff of 120 digital marketing professionals working on data analytics, CRM-based marketing, and the integration of online and off-line data, as well as hyperlocal marketing. The acquisition, combined with Merkle parent company Dentsu Aegis Network's focus in India, will accelerate Merkle's presence in the AsiaPac region, where it currently employs more than 450 staff in two offices, in Shanghai and Nanjing.

The company will be branded Merkle|Sokrati, and Sokrati's staff will join the Merkle team. Co-founder Anubhav Sonthalia (pictured) will serve as the CEO of Merkle|Sokrati and become part of Dentsu Aegis Network's leadership team in India, alongside fellow co-founders Ashish Mehta and Santosh Kumar Gannavarapu.

Merkle President and CEO David Williams comments: 'The acquisition of Sokrati increases Merkle's global scale with a strong entry into the Indian market, which is one of the fastest-growing in the world and an important part of Merkle's expansion within Asia Pacific... It also enhances our data and analytics offering'.

Web sites: www.merkleinc.com and www.sokrati.com .