Hakuhodo acquires Malaysian digital creative agency Kingdom Digital

Hakuhodo, an integrated marketing and innovation firm, has acquired digital creative agency Kingdom Digital in order to expedite Kingdom Digital's development in Southeast Asia. According to Kingdom Digital, no important staff changes will occur inside the agency, and there are presently no clashing clients. Kingdom Digital declined to reveal the purchase price.

Kingdom Digital specialises in social media and content marketing, digital 360 campaigns, online experiences, and video creation, among other things, and has a diverse customer base that includes Grab, Digi, Tohtonku, KyoChon, and Mead Johnson Nutrition. It presently employs 160 professionals. Meanwhile, Hakuhodo has offices in 20 countries and regions, as well as a global pool of 10,000 professionals.

Kingdom Digital's chairman, Vin Chinnaraja, stated that with Hakuhodo's regional presence, Kingdom Digital can provide transnational work for its clients and brands. “We are looking forward to combining Hakuhodo’s sei-katsu-sha data driven marketing with our innovative digital services like our Digital Creative Automation (DCA) platform to deliver 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 absolutely delighted to welcome Kingdom Digital, which is regarded so highly in the industry, as a member of the Hakuhodo Group at this milestone juncture. I’m certain Kingdom Digital will be able to contribute to our clients’ growth by providing them with sophisticated digital solutions in a Malaysian digital marketplace that will only continue to develop in the future. I look forward to Kingdom Digital being a leading presence, alongside Hakuhodo Malaysia, in further strengthening our digital capabilities in Malaysia and ASEAN.”

Meanwhile, Kingdom Digital CEO Ryan Ong stated: “With Hakuhodo's acquisition of Kingdom Digital, we will be able to draw on their infrastructure, creativity, and insights to continue deliver the high standard of work that we are known for. Most of all, both Hakuhodo Inc. and Kingdom Digital share the same vision and values and us coming together will broaden and deepen our services for all our clients.”

Hakuhodo purchased a controlling share in Growww Media in 2020 to strengthen its expertise in providing integrated marketing in Taiwan, where many Japanese corporations have a presence. The acquisition also aims to strengthen the group's capabilities in areas other than advertising, such as big event and exhibition planning and operation, the development of UX-heavy digital campaigns, and public relations.

Separately, Woon Hoh, Hakuhodo's regional chief creative officer, left the firm last month after 17 years. He began his career with Hakuhodo in Indonesia and worked his way up to handle ASEAN markets such as Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and Thailand. During his stint with the firm, he also received a spate of local and international honours.