Dentsu Aegis deepen APAC network with Sokrati acquisition
Digital marketing communications agency Dentsu Aegis Network has acquired Indian firm Sokrati, with a view to expanding its Merkle brand across the Asia Pacific. "We will develop the unique M1 addressable media platform for India as a next step", said Nick Waters, CEO of Dentsu Aegis Network Asia Pacific. Data-driven performance marketing firm Sokrati has been consecutively ranked among India's top 50 technology companies.

Dentsu Aegis Network is intensifying its APAC growth. After inking a group-level partnership with the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) of Singapore, it has acquired Sokrati, a data-driven performance marketing business in India.

Nick Waters, CEO of Dentsu Aegis Network Asia Pacific, said, “India is the fastest growing large economy in the world. It is on track for 400 million smartphone users, making it second only to China, and has emerged as a major ecommerce market."

The acquisition allows Dentsu Aegis Network to continue to roll out the Merkle brand in Asia Pacific, after it acquired the US-headquartered company last year.

"Sokrati’s strength in mobile, ecommerce, data, analytics and performance media provides an ideal basis from which to launch Merkle in India as we develop the roll-out plan for Asia Pacific. We will develop the unique M1 addressable media platform for India as a next step," added Waters.

Sokrati was consecutively ranked in top 50 Indian techonolgies company by Deloitte. According to Anubhav Sonthalia, co-founder and enterprise business head of Sokrati; “Our business is built on a highly data-driven culture, supported by the strong passion for digital and performance marketing from myself and two other founders - Ashish and Santosh."

"It is not often you meet amazing talent with the same drive and mindset, and we could not be more pleased to be joining forces with world-leading agency Merkle, as we expand our global footprint as part of Dentsu Aegis Network. It has been an incredible journey from the start, and we are all very excited about the next chapter for Sokrati," said Sonthalia.

Dentsu already leads global mergers & acquisition activity for Q2 of 2017