Dentsu Aegis Network continues acquisitions, buys Soap in Australia

The announcement follows the acquisition of BWM in early February. Soap Creative and Soap Mobile Games Studio (SMG), comprising of 50 staff, will bring expertise in gaming, innovation and technology and will be part of Isobar, Dentsu Aegis Network’s global digital marketing agency. They will be referred to as "Soap - Linked by Isobar".

Soap Creative founders Ashley Ringrose and Bradley Eldridge will remain with the business and will report to Konrad Spilva, Isobar managing director, Australia and New Zealand. They will also work with the other 25 agency brands within Dentsu Aegis Network locally.

However, Soap's former ECD, Ash Hopper, has moved to Lowe Profero Australia, it was announced today.

Luke Littlefield, CEO of Dentsu Aegis Network Australia and New Zealand said the acquisition supports the overall strategic development in the region. “It will allow us to further diversify our offering in the digital creative space for our clients,” said Littlefield.

Beyond additional resources and a stronger presence, Littlefield believes Soap Creative is a “good cultural fit” and will bring “new thinking and expertise” to the Dentsu Aegis Network. Soap’s existing clients will also benefit from the network’s global resources.

Jean Lin, global CEO of Isobar, said Soap’s “reputation for creativity”, growth over the last five years, geography and strength in game development will lead to greater competitive advantage. “Creativity in digital is one area we want to develop,” said Lin. “Our existing team has strong digital development capability but Soap excels in gaming. This will allow us to creatively integrate across screens .”

“Everyone in the office at Soap has a superhero avatar to represent themselves,” said Lin. “When we purchase a company we recognise that culture is the most important. Ashley and Bradley will continue to lead Soap.”

Ringrose said that several factors drove the decision to join Dentsu Aegis Network over other global groups.

“After almost 13 years, we were looking at ways we could further continue to evolve and improve our offer for clients,” said Ringrose. “We wanted to join people who had the same entrepreneurial spirit and focus on innovation as us.” 

“Dentsu Aegis Network’s various agency businesses, and the opportunity to work closely together with them, was also instrumental in the decision,” he added.