Dentsu Aegis Adds Happy Marketer to Merkle Portfolio

Dentsu Aegis Network has acquired South East Asia-based agency Happy Marketer Group, which will become part of Dentsu Aegis' existing data-driven performance marketing agency Merkle. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Established in 2009, Happy Marketer is headquartered in Singapore, with a digital marketing delivery center in Bangalore, India, and has 55 employees providing data, analytics, CRM, performance marketing and marketing technology to fuel data-driven customer experience solutions for its clients. It is also the provider for Google Analytics training in the region.

Dentsu Aegis says the acquisition will extend Merkle's services across Southeast Asia. As part of the deal, the firm will be rebranded as 'Happy Marketer, a Merkle Company'. Joining the Merkle leadership team from Happy Marketer is Managing Partner Rachit Dayal, who will report to Ted Bray, MD and Chief Growth Officer of Merkle Asia Pacific.

Zhengda Shen (pictured), President, Merkle Asia Pacific, says the deal will 'significantly accelerate Merkle's ability to bring its full suite of services to Singapore and to the Southeast Asian market'. He continues: 'It will also provide a strategic leadership and geographic link with our existing Asia Pacific footprint in China, India, and Australia. Happy Marketer has positive brand recognition and a strong reputation, and more importantly, its data-driven and customer experience enablement approach, strong core service offerings, and dynamic culture align closely with Merkle'.

Web sites: www.dentsuaegisnetwork.com , www.happymarketer.com and www.merkleinc.com .