Hakuhodo, an integrated marketing and innovation firm has acquired the digital creative agency Kingdom Digital to accelerate Kingdom Digital’s expansion in Southeast Asia. According to Kingdom Digital, no significant staff alterations will happen inside the agency, and there are now no clashing clients. Kingdom Digital refused to reveal the purchase price.
Kingdom Digital specializes in social media and content marketing, digital 360 campaigns, online experiences, and video creation, among other things, and has a distinct customer base that comprises Grab, Digi, Tohtonku, KyoChon, and Mead Johnson Nutrition. It presently operates 160 professionals. Meanwhile, Hakuhodo has offices in 20 countries and regions, as well as a global pool of 10,000 experts.
Kingdom Digital’s chairman, Vin Chinnaraja, asserted that with Hakuhodo’s regional presence, Kingdom Digital can deliver transnational work for its clients and brands. “We are glancing forward to incorporating Hakuhodo’s sei-katsu-sha data-driven marketing with our innovative digital services like our Digital Creative Automation (DCA) platform to provide hyper-personalised experiences for our clients and brands,” Chinnaraja said.
Shuntaro Ito, Hakuhodo’s senior corporate officer and president and CEO of Hakuhodo International, stated: “We are pleased to welcome Kingdom Digital, which is deemed so highly in the industry, as a member of the Hakuhodo Group at this milestone juncture. I’m sure Kingdom Digital will be able to empower our clients to grow by delivering them elegant digital solutions in a Malaysian digital marketplace that will only proceed to formulate in the future. I glance forward to Kingdom Digital being a governing presence, alongside Hakuhodo Malaysia, in further enhancing our digital capabilities in Malaysia and ASEAN.”
Meanwhile, Kingdom Digital CEO Ryan Ong stated: “With Hakuhodo’s accession of Kingdom Digital, we will be able to draw on their infrastructure, creativity, and understandings to go on to deliver the high standard of work that we are recognized for. Most of all, both Hakuhodo Inc. and Kingdom Digital share a similar vision and values and us getting together will expand and deepen our assistance for all our clients.”
Hakuhodo acquired a controlling share in Growww Media in 2020 to enhance its expertise in delivering integrated marketing in Taiwan, where many Japanese corporations have a presence. The accession also intends to enhance the group’s skills in areas other than advertising, such as big event and event planning and operation, the advancement of UX-heavy digital campaigns, and public relations.
Individually, Woon Hoh, Hakuhodo’s regional chief creative officer, retired from the firm last month after 17 years. He started his career with Hakuhodo in Indonesia and struggled his way up to handle ASEAN markets such as Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and Thailand. During his journey with the firm, he also earned a spate of local and international honours.
Follow and connect with us on Facebook, LinkedIn & Twitter
