Dentsu Aegis Network Acquires Little Giant

Dentsu Aegis Network acquires Little Giant

Leading New Zealand digital agency to join Isobar

New Zealand, 31 August 2017: Dentsu Aegis Network today announces the acquisition of Little Giant, a leading digital agency in New Zealand. The agency will join Isobar, a global digital marketing agency, to strengthen its presence in the market by scaling the local creative and digital capabilities.

Little Giant was founded in 2011, and now boasts a team of more than 40 employees providing digitally focused creative services from Auckland’s CBD. The agency partners with clients to create and implement digital products and services, brand communications and experiences, and cross-channel, digitally-led campaigns. The agency roster includes internationally renowned brands such as Fonterra, Les Mills, Rocketlab and Marketo, as well as leading New Zealand brands such as Harcourts, Firth and Spark.

Following the acquisition the agency will become “Little Giant, Linked by Isobar” and founder Mark Hurley will remain CEO, reporting to Dentsu Aegis Network NZ CEO, Rob Harvey.

The move enables Little Giant to leverage Isobar’s global network and capabilities, while maintaining the identity and culture which has made it so successful.

Little Giant has been one of New Zealand’s most talked about Independent agencies in the last 12 months after a successful run of new business wins, and several high-profile hires including Ian Howard and Erik Hay. In 2015, the agency was named in the Deloitte NZ Fast 50, and 2016 Deloitte APAC Technology Fast 500. Following this impressive run of growth, CEO and Founder Mark Hurley was named a finalist in the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards in July.

Rob Harvey CEO Dentsu Aegis Network New Zealand, said: “As we continue on our journey to ensure our group and clients are leading in the digital economy, Little Giant, Linked by Isobar is an important part of our strategy and will bring transformational digital creative capability to our New Zealand business. Mark is an outstanding leader and together with his team Little Giant have delivered market leading growth. They have done this through strong work and the development of an enviable culture. I am absolutely thrilled to welcome Mark and the Little Giant team into the Dentsu Aegis Network family.”

Mark Hurley, CEO of Little Giant, added: “I see this acquisition as an exciting next step in the evolution of Little Giant. As part of Isobar and Dentsu Aegis Network, we will dramatically enhance our ability to offer world-class creativity and digital innovation to existing and new clients within the New Zealand market. We have been extremely impressed by the vision of the Isobar brand, the alignment with our culture and values, and their desire to let us continue to operate the business as we do now. Our team is extremely excited about what the future holds.”

Konrad Spilva, CEO of Isobar Group ANZ, said: “The addition of Little Giant to the Isobar family will grow our strong digital footprint in New Zealand and enhance our skills in the digital consultancy space across ANZ. Mark and his team have built an enviable reputation in creativity and technology. Ultimately, we want to help our clients create better experiences for their customers and Little Giant is imperative to helping us meet that goal in New Zealand.”

Jean Lin, Isobar Global CEO, said: “Little Giant’s entrepreneurial spirit and vibrant culture is a great fit with Isobar. We both believe creativity and ideas are critical for digital transformation, and that a global mindset with local insights is a platform for great work. We are excited to bring Little Giant in to our borderless and growing global agency."

ENDS

About Little Giant

Little Giant is a digitally-led creative agency based in Auckland’s CBD partnering with clients (emerging and established) to build digital products and services, design engaging brand communications and experiences, and implement cross-channel, digitally-led campaigns. Established in 2011 and with more than 40 employees, Little Giant is one of New Zealand’s fastest growing agencies. Named one of New Zealand’s fastest growing companies in 2015 (Deloitte Fast 50), one of Asia-Pacific’s fastest growing technology companies in 2015 and 2016 (Deloitte Asia Pacific Tech Fast 500), Little Giant continues to achieve more than 60% year on year revenue growth today. www.littlegiant.co.nz

About Isobar

Isobar is a global full service digital marketing agency, driven by the purpose to deliver borderless ideas enabled by technology, to transform businesses and brands. We have over 6,000 digital pioneers in over 85 locations, across more than 45 markets worldwide. Isobar has won over 250 awards in 2016, including 19 Agency of the Year titles and Asia-Pacific Digital Network of the Year for the fifth time in the past six years. Key clients include adidas, Coca-Cola, Enterprise, Google, GM, Huawei, Lego and P&G. Isobar is part of the Dentsu Aegis Network, a wholly owned subsidiary of Dentsu Inc. www.isobar.com

About Dentsu Aegis Network

Part of Dentsu Inc., Dentsu Aegis Network is made up of ten global network brands - Carat, Dentsu, Dentsu media, iProspect, Isobar, mcgarrybowen, Merkle, MKTG, Posterscope and Vizeum and supported by its specialist/multi-market brands. Dentsu Aegis Network is Innovating the Way Brands Are Built for its clients through its best-in-class expertise and capabilities in media, digital and creative communications services. Offering a distinctive and innovative range of products and services, Dentsu Aegis Network is headquartered in London and operates in 145 countries worldwide with more than 38,000 dedicated specialists. www.dentsuaegisnetwork.com

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