In its continuing effort to become a "100% digital economy business by 2020," Dentsu Aegis Network will acquire programmatic shop Accordant Media, on the heels of two other data-focused acquisitions this year. Financial terms were not disclosed.
In March, Dentsu Aegis Network acquired data and analytics shop Cardinal Path for an undisclosed price, and in August it acquired a majority stake in performance marketing agency Merkle, also for an undisclosed price.
"For us, acquiring Accordant is not about buying scale, but acquiring talent and capabilities in an emerging space," said Rob Horler, CEO of Dentsu Aegis Network U.S.
"Our ambition is to be a business that is ready for the digital economy by 2020," he said. "We believe that by 2020, every business will have to be operating in the digital economy, and we want to be at the forefront of that -- capable of offering clients world-class solutions in digital marketing."
Accordant develops a propriety technology called Accordant ATS, which includes a data-management platform, custom data models and associated bidding and analytics tools. The company, which employs 70 programmatic specialists, will become part of Amnet, Dentsu Aegis Network's programmatic buying offering.
Once the acquisition is complete, Arthur Muldoon, CEO and co-founder of Accordant, and Matthew Greitzer, COO and co-founder of Accordant, will become co-CEOs of Amnet U.S. They will report to Lucas Cridland, president of Amplifi U.S., Dentsu Aegis Network's media investment platform.
All of Accordant's current staff will remain.
"The talent is quite impressive," Mr. Horler said. "To source high-quality people is impossible, frankly. This talent injection will give us fresh thinking, fresh perspective, and innovation, and will enhance our reputation."
