Dentsu Aegis Network acquires Gyro to become the ‘largest’ B2B creative agency
Dentsu Aegis Network has snapped up Gyro that will see the latter become what is claimed to be the largest agency dedicated exclusively to business-to-business (B2B) marketing.
Dentsu Aegis Network acquires Gyro to become the ‘largest’ B2B creative agency.
The acquisition sees Dentsu’s B2B media agency Interprise collapse into Gyro, which will be headquartered in the US – the world’s largest B2B market. Additional markets span the US, UK, France, Germany, Spain, Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore and the UAE. Gyro, founded in 1999 is a three-time Business Marketing Association Global B2B agency of the year (2014-2016) and has placed a premium on creating ideas that are “humanly relevant” underscoring the evolution of B2B marketing.
Gyro chief executive and chief operating officer Christoph Becker adds global responsibilities to both those roles, while Stuart Giddings, the global network president of Interprise, takes on the newly created role of global network president for Gyro and will oversee client and business development for the whole network. Giddings will also report to Becker .
Becker said, "With Dentsu Aegis acquiring Gyro, a major global strategic vision is coming together. Together, we are in the perfect position to lead and accelerate the much-needed reinvention of the B2B space through the total integration of creative, media and technological power. Teamed with Dentsu Aegis, Gyro will offer even more value to our great client partners and bring bigger wings to achieve their goals and dreams. This is an iconic moment for our clients and all our great talent around the world. It will represent a before and after in the innovation journey to refresh, once and for all, the B2B space on the global stage. Together, Dentsu Aegis and Gyro will reinvent the way we see, consume and feel advertising in the business-to-people space.”
Commenting on the acquisition, Dentsu Aegis Network UK & Ireland chief executive, Tracy De Groose, said, “Digital and technology are disrupting the B2B market in the same way they have disrupted B2C. Increasingly, our B2B clients are looking to us to help them connect with their customers and define the customer experience in today’s digital economy. The newly combined gyro isn’t just about merging two agencies, it’s about bringing together all our B2B capabilities into one unrivalled full-service offering.”
The market can expect more deals like this as demand for marketing technologies and analytics tools swells, according to Julie Langley, a partner at Results International.
“We are seeing massive amounts of activity and growth in B2B, both within the agency sector and the marketing automation space. And this translates into M&A interest. Dentsu Aegis is not alone amongst the major networks to be looking to bulk up its B2B offer and we can expect to see more announcements in the months ahead. A good deal of this interest is likely to come from predominantly B2C players looking to secure a presence within the B2B space.
"As well as M&A activity within the agency space, marketing automation technology companies are creating headlines: Marketo was taken private again by Vista Equity Partners earlier in the year for $1.8bn and services companies working with the major B2B platforms, such as Marketo, Eloqua and Pardot, are all seeing strong growth."