Dentsu Aegis has acquired b-to-b creative agency Gyro as the global agency network continues its acquisition spree and invests in b-to-b.
Gyro will absorb Dentsu Aegis' existing b-to-b group Interprise, which it launched earlier this year. The combined offering will span media planning and buying, creative services and events, among other capabilities, the company said in a statement.
Gyro, known for its ability to combine business strategy with emotional storytelling, in January was named Ad Age's B-to-B Agency of the Year for 2015. The 600-person, U.S.-based shop ended 2015 with $171 million in revenue and a handful of new accounts, including Aflac's b-to-b account, Ball Corp., Honda Aircraft Co. and Vodafone, plus a large b-to-b project for Google in Europe. As a result of an influx of new business from existing clients HP and Visa, the shop doubled its employee base to 65 in its San Francisco office. It also moved into new headquarters on Wall Street to serve its New York clients.
"The b-to-b sector is undergoing the same fundamental disruption to established rules and ways of working as the consumer landscape," said Rob Horler, CEO of Dentsu Aegis Network U.S., in a statement. "B-to-b marketers are increasingly looking to like-minded partners to help them navigate this landscape and develop the right insights, strategies, approach and execution across every part of the customer journey. As such, b-to-b is a critical piece of our overall offering, and the combination of Gyro and Interprise will create an unparalleled solution for our clients both in the U.S. and around the world."
Gyro, under existing CEO and chief creative officer Christoph Becker, will remain headquartered in the U.S., but continue to expand globally. Interprise Global President Stuart Giddings will now report into Mr. Becker.
Dentsu Aegis has had an appetite for agency acquisitions since Japanese holding company parent Dentsu acquired the Aegis media agency network in March 2013. A year after the deal closed, Dentsu Aegis acquired New York-based events and promotions shop MKTG for $52 million. Later in 2014, it bought global performance shops Covario and Rockett Interactive to scale its existing capabilities within iProspect. And more recently, the company acquired digital marketing shop Cardinal Path in March.
