The text of the Dentsu Inc. news release distributed on February 13 is as follows.
February 13, 2018
Dentsu Inc. Reaches Agreement to Acquire 100% of Shares in U.S. Brand Design Firm Character Inc.
Dentsu Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Toshihiro Yamamoto; Capital: ¥74,609,810,000) has reached an agreement with the shareholders of U.S. brand design company Character SF, LLC (Headquarters: San Francisco; Co-founders: Benjamin Pham and two others; hereinafter "Character") to acquire 100% of its shares through its overseas headquarters, Dentsu Inc. (※).
Founded in 1999 by three designers, Character has grown and earned high acclaim by emphasizing the perspective of how clients' brands and products are experienced by users, both online and offline, and providing solutions effective for appealing to users.
Today, it serves numerous multinational corporations, offering comprehensive services ranging from developing brand strategies for differentiation and establishing brand identities to implementing brand experience initiatives. These services include web design and mobile app development focused on user touchpoints, as well as packaging design and in-store brand execution.
This acquisition will provide our group with a solid strength in the brand consulting domain. We will accelerate our growth strategy in the United States, the world's largest advertising market, by strengthening the cooperative relationship between Character Inc. and the various brands under our group umbrella and enhancing synergies.
The impact of this transaction on our consolidated financial results for the fiscal year ending December 2018 is expected to be minimal.
[Character Company Overview]
Company Name: Character SF, LLC
Headquarters: San Francisco, California, USA
Established: August 1999
Shareholder Structure: 100% owned by Dentsu Inc. Aegis Network after share acquisition
Revenue: $9.3 million (approx. ¥1.02 billion) (Fiscal Year Ending December 2017)
Representatives: Co-founder Benjamin Pham (Partner & Director of Strategy) and two others
Number of Employees: 31
Business Description: Provides comprehensive services ranging from brand strategy formulation and brand identity establishment to brand experience implementation
Dentsu Inc. Aegis Network Ltd. (London), which oversees Dentsu Inc.'s overseas operations, conducts business globally centered around 10 global network brands. These 10 brands are: Carat, Dentsu (Dentsu Brand Agencies), dentsu X, iProspect, Isobar, mcgarrybowen, Merkle, MKTG, Posterscope, and Vizeum.
End
Dentsu Inc. News Release
http://www.dentsu.co.jp/news/release/2018/0213-009465.html
