See all our 2016 year-in-review features: Brand crises; major appointments and departures; big launches; the best, worst and strangest ads; and more.
Today's list: The industry's top acquisitions.
Top 5 deals
According to R3, it was an active year for M&A in Asia Pacific, with overall investments at $3.7 billion in total, up 119 percent from 2015. Here is R3's list of the five biggest deals.
Aquirer | Target | Location | Date | Headcount |
Miteno | BBHI | India/US/Hong Kong | June | 1500 |
Nielsen | Repucom | Australia | June | 1400 |
Keda Group | itrax (爱创天杰) | China | April | 300 |
Accenture | IMJ | Japan | April | 600 |
Dentsu Aegis Network | Perfect Relations Group | India | September | 500 |
Hungry DAN
In addition to the fifth entry on R3's list, Dentsu Aegis Network made so many acquisitions that it became something of a newsroom joke to ask, what did DAN buy this week?
- (March) DAN acquires majority stake in Barnes, Catmur & Friends
- (March) Dentsu Aegis Network acquires Darwin Marketing in China
- (May) Dentsu Aegis Network acquires Chinese agency VeryStar
- (June) iProspect acquires Search Factory
- (July) DAN’s iProspect acquires Taiwan performance agency
- (September) Dentsu Aegis Network acquires Australia’s WiTH Collective
- (October) DAN's Mcgarrybowen acquires Happy Creative Services in India
- (November) DAN acquires ecommerce consulting and services firm Bluecom
Other deals
Why BandLab’s stake in Rolling Stone makes sense
(September) Singapore-based BandLab’s acquisition of a 49 percent stake in Rolling Stone will help Wenner Media jump across the digital divide and create a thriving business in emerging markets, if done right, according to industry experts.
StartJG acquisition aims to strengthen Fitch's pivot to Greater China
(October) Fitch Design, known as StartJG until its acquisition announced yesterday, gives Fitch stronger digital capabilities "on the doorstep" of China, according to Andrew Crombie, Fitch's CEO for Southeast and North Asia.
SPRG acquires AsiaNet Communications
(July) Strategic Public Relations Group has acquired government relations and public affairs agency AsiaNet Communications in Hong Kong.
Grey expands social capabilities with acquisition in China
(July) Grey Group has acquired a majority stake in Easycom, an ePR and social-media agency in China. The move is response to what the network said is the “dramatic evolution” of the communications ecosystem in China in the last two years, with social now a prerequisite assignment for all marketers.
CJ Group establishes agency joint-venture in Vietnam
(November) CJ Group's content and marketing arm CJ E&M has created a joint venture with a Vietnam-based agency called Blue Group, with the aim of boosting collaboration across media, advertising, events and cinema.