Kepler and Infectious Media Join Forces to Create Global Innovation Leader

NEW YORK and LONDON, Dec. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Infectious Media, one of the firms that has powered the digital advertising revolution in Europe, announced today that it is joining Kepler Group, the US-based digital marketing pioneer that sits within the kyu Collective alongside companies such as IDEO, Sid Lee and SY Partners. This unites two transformative firms to create an industry leader with true global reach. The deal reflects the growing influence of next generation companies that help marketers navigate the seismic, technology-driven changes impacting how brands connect with consumers.

Data, platforms, advanced analytics, and speed are now the global foundations for modern marketing. This has driven advertisers to radically rethink their operating models, approach to tech, and role within the marketing value chain. In turn, they have turned to a new breed of marketing services firms that go beyond traditional media approaches to offer deep expertise on technology best practices, in-house team design and technical implementation, advanced measurement, and privacy.

This trend only accelerated as COVID-19 made brands even more reliant on e-commerce and data-driven marketing. As experts in these areas, Kepler and Infectious Media have both grown in 2020 while less technologically advanced marketing groups declined. 

The two firms have a shared focus on large-scale advertisers, and their combined client roster includes Hasbro, John Lewis, The New York Times, Pepsico, HSBC, and Uber. 

“We started talking about joining up two summers ago,” said Martin Kelly, Infectious Media’s CEO. “Both firms were award-winning leaders in their home markets. Both firms continued to grow in 2020. But we had each independently concluded that we needed to establish a global footprint to meet clients’ expanding needs. Combining forces presented a terrific way to accomplish that.”

“The extended dialogue provided us a chance to make sure the teams would fit well together,” added Rick Greenberg, Kepler CEO. “And that just became more obvious with every conversation, since both companies were built from day one to be among the most forward-thinking firms in the industry. With this acquisition, the amount of innovation talent we’re bringing together is simply awesome.”

Infectious Media will retain its brand name in the immediate term and adopt the Kepler name in a staged process. Together, the group will have nearly 400 professionals across offices in London, Singapore, New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, San Francisco, and Costa Rica. It will also retain the ability to leverage parent company Hakuhodo DY’s other digital units to provide specialized knowledge and capabilities, particularly in Japan and additional APAC markets. 

About Kepler:
Kepler, founded in 2012, provides advanced digital and database services to clients in financial services, retail, healthcare, media & entertainment, and other industries. Its core services revolve around helping clients use data to power more dynamic and personalized marketing -- including digital media and advanced TV, CRM, database and marketing systems integration, and in-house media team design and activation. The company is a member of kyu, a strategic operating unit of Hakuhodo DY Holdings Inc. Fellow member companies include: IDEO, Sid Lee, SYPartners, Godfrey Dadich, and BEworks. More information can be found at www.keplergrp.com.

For more information from Kepler, contact:

Carolyn Powell
[email protected] 
+1.518.755.8165

About Infectious Media:
Infectious Media is a digital media specialist with offices in London and Singapore. The company was founded in 2008 at the start of the programmatic media revolution by Martin Kelly and Andy Cocker, and has grown to be one of the leading independent agencies in EMEA. The firm manages digital media activation for clients across display, social, search, video, and programmatic channels like connected TV and programmatic out-of-home. Based on this experience, it has a consulting unit that helps advertisers bring these activation functions in-house.

Infectious Media is one of the most awarded agencies in the UK. In recent years, it has placed 1st in the Deloitte Fast 50 for business growth and won numerous awards for client work, including The Exchange Wire and Drum Grand Prix Awards.

For more information from Infectious Media, contact:

Neil McKinnon
[email protected]
+44 7880 610 676 

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/662d10a1-e801-4cdd-8577-af9f10679734