Dentsu Aegis Network announced today (18 December) it has bought Kansas-based digital agency Digital Evolution Group (DEG), which will join Isobar to form DEG, Linked by Isobar.
The merger will look to leverage DEG's existing relationships with Salesforce, Adobe and Microsoft cloud platforms to help the newly formed agency strengthen its marketing technology capabilities.
Dentsu Aegis is buying DEG for approximately $150m, as reported by the Wall Street Journal.
DEG chief executive Neal Sharma will lead the agency, and the DEG management team will go unchanged. Sharma will report directly to Isobar US CEO Deb Boyda.
"This union will help us better serve our client’s needs for top shelf commerce experiences with our Salesforce and Adobe partnerships. Together with our partners, we will be a force to be reckoned with," Boyda said.
Isobar's clients include Coca-Cola, Adidas, P&G and Huawei.
"Dentsu Aegis Network and Isobar’s vision for how our industry is evolving is spot-on, and combining global scale, people-based insights, and proven innovation with our existing capabilities and talents will provide an unparalleled caliber of service across the customer journey," said Sharma.
Along with DEG, Dentsu Aegis owns agencies including Carat, McGarryBowen and iProspect.
The holding company has gone through some recent internal shakeups. Stef Calcraft is out after serving less than a year as executive chairman for the UK and Ireland. Kenneth Parks, Dentsu Aegis' former chief executive, didn't reach the one-year mark either. Parks has taken the same role at Hero Digital.