Dentsu buys digital agency to boost Merkle operations

Dentsu Aegis Network is continuing to strengthen the operations of data-driven agency Merkle by acquiring Namics AG, a leading full-service digital agency with offices in Switzerland and Germany for an undisclosed sum.
Following the acquisition, which is subject to approval from the German competition authority, the company will become ‘Namics – A Merkle Company’.
Founded in 1995 in Switzerland, Namics provides strategic consulting, concept development and creative, as well as technical implementation, with a strong focus on user experience. Its clients include ABB, Credit Suisse, Migros, Swiss Life, UBS, and Victorinox in Switzerland and ADAC, Boehringer Ingelheim, Kaufland, Kuka and smart in Germany.
Namics’ digital experience, creative and service design expertise complements Merkle’s already customer experience (CX) and marketing technology practice in the region.
An key step in Merkle’s strategy to increase its global footprint, the acquisition is designed to provide further scale and depth to Merkle’s capabilities, in particular in the areas of business transformation strategy, digital consulting and technology implementation across Adobe Experience Cloud, Sitecore, Salesforce and SAP and other leading technology partners.
All Namics’ 550 digital specialists based in Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich, St. Gallen, Zurich and Belgrade will join Merkle, bringing its EMEA regional employee numbers to over 2,000.
Dentsu Aegis EMEA chief executive Giulio Malegori said: “This acquisition brings scale to our existing presence in the German and Swiss markets in EMEA. Their services complement Merkle’s capabilities, creating a compelling offer that will help clients transform their brands in the digital economy.”
Merkle EMEA president Michael Komasinski (pictured) added: “This acquisition provides important scale to our business in EMEA, adding new markets and an established service offering that fits perfectly with our existing marketing technology and CX practice. With an enviable client base and a shared vision, Namics accelerates our strategy to extend Merkle’s people-based marketing capabilities across EMEA.”