DAN brings Merkle to Australia

Dentsu Aegis Network today announced the launch of its performance marketing agency Merkle in Australia. 

The agency will merge with existing data marketing specialist Columbus, which will be rebranded Columbus, a Merkle Company in Australia. The CEO, Rebecca Tos, and agency team at Columbus remain the same, with Merkle’s capabilities added to its stable. The rebrand does not affect Columbus offices outside Australia. 

Columbus Australia consists of nearly 100 performance and data marketing specialists. The Merkle network also includes specialist B2B digital media unit DWA, which has a team of 20 people in Sydney.    

“While Columbus is already one of the leading performance media businesses in Australia, Merkle will allow us to better help clients improve customer engagement, enhance competitive positions and maximise return on marketing,” said Simon Ryan, Dentsu Aegis Network CEO ANZ. 

Zhengda Shen, Merkle APAC president, said the two agencies complement each other through Columbus’ strong client base and local reputation, together with Merkle’s heritage in data, analytics and technology.