St Ives Group has continued its buying spree with the £21.7m acquisition of digital marketing agency Realise, to sit alongside Amaze and Branded3; the digital specialists the company bought last year.
Based in Edinburgh and London, with nearly 100 employees, Realise has expertise in a broad range of digital capabilities, from digital strategy and creative to technology and production. The agency has particular strength in financial services and media, with clients including AXA, Lloyds Banking Group and Standard Life Investments, as well as Google and Channel 4.
The acquisition is a continuation of the St Ives’ strategy to create a complementary range of digital and marketing services that will add further value to existing and new clients. It comprises £18.4m in cash and 1.7 million in group shares, depending on incremental financial performance by 30 September 2014 and 2015.
Realise will operate as a subsidiary of St Ives, continuing to be managed from its current locations by the existing management team, including chief executive Tony Murphy.
St Ives Group chief executive Patrick Martell (pictured) said: “The acquisition of Realise is another major step in the Group’s strategy to build our digital capabilities. The agency will complement the services of Amaze and Branded3, with a combined strength and scale that puts us firmly among the leaders in the UK’s digital sector.
“Our combination of insight-led innovation and trusted execution across digital and physical media creates a unique offering in the market for our existing and prospective clients. Realise is an exciting addition to our Group and we are looking forward to supporting its growth plans.”
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RT @DM_editor: St Ives buys digital agency Realise http://t.co/qSg9heVxMa #digitalmarketing #directmarketing #data #advertising