Dentsu strengthens Customer Transformation & Technology capabilities with the acquisition of Aware Services, enhancing Merkle’s Salesforce data practice offering

Dentsu Group Inc. (Tokyo: 4324; ISIN: JP3551520004; President & CEO: Hiroshi Igarashi; Head Office: Tokyo; Capital: 74,609.81 million yen) announced today it has acquired Aware Services, a Salesforce, MuleSoft and Tableau consultancy. Aware Services will join Merkle, a leading technology-enabled, data-driven customer experience management (CXM) company within Dentsu International.

Aware Services, established in 2018, is an Australian-owned Salesforce, MuleSoft and Tableau partner, with data and analytics capabilities, working with a broad range of clients in both the public and private sectors.

The acquisition will bolster Merkle’s existing Salesforce and data and analytics capabilities, and help the business better service existing clients, while allowing Merkle to pursue their goal of sustainable growth with a newly expanded team. The acquisition will support Merkle’s ambition to become the leading customer transformation partner in Australia.

Merkle’s Salesforce offering is underpinned by its longstanding expertise in outcome-led customer experience, driven by data and enabled by marketing technology, cementing its unique positioning in the Salesforce ecosystem. As a result of this acquisition, the number of Salesforce trained staff and Salesforce certifications in the Group will be over 1,500 and 3,900 respectively.

Dentsu has set “Business Transformation and Growth,” as one of the four pillars of its medium-term management plan, and one of the priorities is to reach 50% of its revenues from Customer Transformation & Technology (CT&T)*. By further entering the customer experience transformation area, we aim to provide more competitive and high value-added services whilst achieving business transformation and sustainable growth for the Group.

John Riccio, Merkle ANZ and APAC CEO, commented: “Today’s announcement is significant as Merkle continues to grow its capabilities to better service our clients and be the best partner to solve real business challenges today and tomorrow.”

Paul Stewart, CEO of Aware Services, said: “We are excited to become a part of the Merkle ANZ story, and join the broader dentsu network. Aware Services has always been committed to helping bring our clients futures to life, and as part of Merkle we will be able to do this on a larger scale.”

Merkle has agreed to purchase 100% of Aware Services, and at the completion of the acquisition the 115 person staff and leadership will be fully integrated into the Merkle team by early next year.

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*Customer Transformation & Technology (CT&T)
High growth business domain including the services related to marketing technology, customer experience management, commerce, system integration, and transformation & growth strategy.

About Dentsu Group Inc.
Dentsu Group Inc. (Tokyo: 4324; ISIN: JP3551520004), is a pure holding company established on January 1, 2020. Under the umbrella, there are two operational networks: Dentsu Japan Network, which oversees dentsu’s agency operations in Japan, and Dentsu International, its international business headquarters in London, which oversees dentsu’s agency operations outside of Japan. The group has a strong presence in approximately 145 countries and regions across five continents and with 65,000 dedicated professionals.
Dentsu Group Inc. website: https://www.group.dentsu.com/en/

About Merkle
Merkle is a leading data-driven customer experience management (CXM) company that specializes in the delivery of unique, personalized customer experiences across platforms and devices. For more than 30 years, Fortune 1000 companies and leading nonprofit organizations have partnered with Merkle to maximize the value of their customer portfolios. The company’s heritage in data, technology, and analytics forms the foundation for its unmatched skills in understanding consumer insights that drive hyper-personalized marketing strategies. Its combined strengths in performance media, customer experience, customer relationship management, loyalty, and enterprise marketing technology drive improved marketing results and competitive advantage. With 12,000 employees, Merkle is headquartered in Columbia, Maryland, with 50+ additional offices throughout the Americas, EMEA, and APAC. Merkle is a dentsu company.
For more information, contact Merkle at 1-877-9-Merkle or visit www.merkleinc.com.

About Aware Services
Aware Services is an Australian-owned Salesforce, MuleSoft, and Tableau Summit partner with Data and Analytics capability, working with a broad range of clients in both the public and private sectors. Servicing a gap in the Australian market for a consultancy and solution implementor with deep specialization in Salesforce, Data, Analytics and customer experience. Aware Services is a Summit Salesforce partner, and also have partnerships with Tableau, MuleSoft, Alteryx, Snowflake, Collibra and AWS.
Aware Services Pty Ltd website: https://awareservices.com/

For additional inquiries

	TOKYO	LONDON	NEW YORK
MEDIA Please contact Corporate Communications	Shusaku Kannan +81 3 6217 6602 s.kannan@dentsu.co.jp	Matt Cross +44 7446 798 723 matt.cross@dentsu.com	Jeremy Miller +1 917-710-1285 jeremy@dentsu.com
INVESTORS & ANALYSTS Please contact Investor Relations	Yoshihisa Okamoto +81 3 6217 6613 yoshihisa.okamoto@dentsu.co.jp	Kate Stewart +44 7900 191 093 kate.stewart@dentsu.com