The acquisition comes on the heels of Incubeta’s recent big win at the Global Performance Marketing Awards, where the team took home the trophy for Best Performance Marketing Agency. Judges’ comments commended the “powerhouse” agency of over 800 employees for “supporting employees across all factors, driving business growth and maintaining client relationships.”   

The Carlyle Europe Technology Partners (“CETP”) platform will support Incubeta in accelerating its international growth plan through the development of its existing suite of services and acquisitions, as well as investing in the company’s commercial operations and proprietary technology. CETP has extensive experience in scaling technology and marketing services businesses through its partnerships with leaders in their respective markets, including companies such as DEPT, Work & Co, The Mill, and HSO.

Lars Lehne, CEO of Incubeta, said:

“We are very proud of the significant growth that Incubeta has achieved, having completed five acquisitions over the past two years and becoming a key partner in the Google ecosystem. We strongly believe Carlyle is the perfect partner as we take the next step in our growth journey, given its global presence, deep understanding of our sector, and extensive experience in scaling technology and marketing services businesses.”

Andrew Tan, Director in the CETP investment advisory team, said:

“Incubeta has all the hallmarks we look for in our investments – exposure to a market benefiting from strong tailwinds, partnership with an experienced and driven management team, and multiple levers for growth, including international expansion and service line extension. We look forward to partnering with Incubeta’s management team under the leadership of CEO Lars Lehne to help accelerate the next phase of the company’s growth as it seeks to become the leading global partner of choice in the fast-growing GMP ecosystem.”

The post Global Investment Firm Carlyle to Acquire International Marketing Agency Incubeta appeared first on PerformanceIN.

With a focus on Central and Eastern Europe, VIVnetworks helps e-commerce brands scale their performance marketing efforts and unlock growth in the regional market, as well as globally. The agency currently possesses a client portfolio of 900 merchants across 27 countries.

The integration of VIVnetworks with CJ will open up new opportunities for global brands and publishers to activate and grow within Central and Eastern European markets whilst also supporting those within the region to expand internationally.

VIVnetworks will be integrated into CJ’s continental European offering and operate under the leadership of Tobias Allgeyer, Senior Vice President EMEA, based in Munich. VIVnetworks’ founders, Vladan Hejnic, CEO, and Robert Studený, COO will join CJ’s executive management for Central and Eastern Europe.

Mayuresh Kshetramade, CEO at CJ, says of the acquisition:

“A decade ago, CJ started partnering with VIVnetworks to harness the agency’s vast expertise in affiliate marketing within Central and Eastern Europe. I’m pleased to say that continues to be a huge success. VIVnetworks have not only operated and developed expertise in the region, they’ve matured the affiliate industry. Now, under CJ’s unified umbrella, VIVnetworks and CJ will fully combine to help our clients—advertisers, publishers, and agencies—win in commerce with unparalleled regional and global performance marketing expertise supported by our internationally renowned capabilities in data, technology, and partnerships.”

Vladan Hejnic, Founder and CEO at VIVnetworks, comments:

“The integration of VIVnetworks within CJ marks a merging of expertise. CJ is a global performance network and technology platform with local expertise worldwide. By joining CJ, the VIVnetworks team will enhance that expertise, becoming a core strength in Central and Eastern Europe to benefit VIV, CJ, and Publicis Groupe’s global clients. In addition to CJ’s ability to offer our advertising brands action-based insight on trends, best practices, and local-level knowledge around the world, our brands will gain greater access to Publicis Groupe’s commerce transformation through CJ’s expert teams—data science, product, engineering, publisher development, and fraud prevention to name a few.”

We look forward to seeing how this acquisition will benefit clients of both companies.

The post Publicis Groupe Announces Acquisition of VIVnetworks – To Be Integrated with Performance Platform CJ appeared first on PerformanceIN.

This acquisition, the fourth in 12 months for Incubeta, will expand its global presence in the Middle East and North Africa, enabling the group to continue driving growth for clients through their expertise, and best practices in media, technology and creative.

Incubeta uses the power of bespoke, localised digital solutions to unlock and amplify business growth potential. Established in 2015, Bruce Clay’s MENA office is part of the Bruce Clay Inc. network and has delivered SEO, PPC, Creative and Social Media solutions for well known brands, such as McDonalds, Johnson & Johnson, Zoflora and Canon.

Together, Bruce Clay MENA and Incubeta will drive growth for clients, and the group, in the Middle Eastern and North African markets. 

Sitting under the Incubeta brand, Bruce Clay MENA will have access to Incubeta’s full scope of services, including the exclusive Google Marketing Platform relationship. As such, Incubeta MENA will provide clients with a fully integrated, end to end digital offering beyond their founding specialisms.

“This acquisition fits squarely with our ongoing strategy of acquiring companies that complement our core business growth. Having Bruce Clay MENA join the Incubeta family opens up an endless avenue of opportunity for us in the services we can provide, the work that we can do, and the culture that we continue to build. I’ve no doubt that they’ll contribute to our overall success as a business, a brand and a partner.”

Lars Lehne, Group CEO of Incubeta.

Michael Ossendrijver, CEO of Incubeta EMEA and Chief Growth Officer told us: “For the overall digital marketing industry in MENA, this means two leading specialists have joined forces to become a digital powerhouse in the region.”

Neal Patel, Managing Director of Bruce Clay MENA said: “These are truly exciting times for Bruce Clay MENA, as through the Incubeta brand we will infuse deep performance marketing knowledge and experience into our team and agency offering – unlike anything there currently is in the region. Additionally through Bruce Clay MENA, Incubeta are acquiring world class SEO, social media and creative talent that will help provide a fully integrated end to end solution to clients. The opportunities we will open together are super exciting and the team and I can’t wait to get going!”

The post Incubeta Announces Acquisition of Bruce Clay MENA, Expanding Global Presence appeared first on PerformanceIN.

Grovia’s platform intelligently recommends personalised partner prospects, prioritising those that attract visitors with high purchase intent. The technology is a strong fit with Acceleration Partners’ existing suite of solutions and services, which includes partner programme design, strategy, recruitment, management, and optimisation. Combining capabilities enhances Acceleration Partners’ ability to meet the end-to-end needs of customers – from smaller organisations just getting started with affiliate marketing to full-service Fortune 500 enterprises that need a fully scoped and managed affiliate and partnership programme. 

The Grovia deal marks the third acquisition for Acceleration Partners since partnering with Mountaingate Capital two years ago. In January 2021, Acceleration Partners joined forces with  Streamline Marketing. A few months later, the company acquired the affiliate programme management business of R.O.EYE. The extraordinary growth trajectory has continued with ongoing leadership team expansion, including the promotion of Matt Wool to CEO last December.

“As the partnership marketing industry continues to have rapid global growth and evolution, technology plays a crucial role in meeting our customers’ needs,” said Matt Wool, CEO of Acceleration Partners.

“Technology will make the process of recruiting a wide array of trusted affiliates and influencers more effective, scalable, and streamlined.”

The post Acceleration Partners Expands its Global Partnership Marketing Services with Acquisition of Grovia appeared first on PerformanceIN.

PriceRunner will bring new features to the Klarna app globally in the form of product discovery, price comparisons and product reviews. Klarna’s 400k+ global retail partners as well as PriceRunner’s retail partners will benefit from increased website traffic from high intent consumers and optimised marketing opportunities to further drive their growth.

All 200+ PriceRunner employees in Sweden, Denmark and Norway are now officially part of the Klarna family.

David Fock, Klarna’s Chief Product Officer commented: “Together with PriceRunner we already have some exciting plans on how we can swiftly integrate our teams and technology stacks to launch products that enhance the shopping experience for Klarna’s 147m global consumers. We look forward to welcoming our new colleagues to Klarna.

“Klarna and PriceRunner are united in our fundamental belief that tech companies, no matter where they operate, compete on the basis of their own merit with the best products and services to gain consumers’ trust.”

The acquisition further accelerates Klarna’s position, taking it further towards being a viable and competitive alternative for retail partners such as Amazon, Google and Facebook. 

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Focus on realising your ambition

With so many changes over the last 18 months, it’s recently been the right time for leaders to take a look into the future and reconsider their business vision, strategy, resources, and action plans. 

But it’s not just at a corporate level that things have been re-evaluated. Leaders are thinking more about their own lives, what they want to achieve and how they want to spend their time. Many talented individuals now want to make fewer compromises. They want to spend more time doing what they do best, move faster and avoid years of toil and unfulfilled potential.

So, with a fresh look at business strategy and re-focused personal perspectives, the world of M&A can now provide smarter and quicker ways for businesses and their stakeholders to achieve their ambitions. Traditional views have changed. It’s no longer only big groups and networks that acquire businesses. And a sale doesn’t need to be an exit or an ‘end game’. They can be seen as ways of getting ahead, of achieving scale, of delivering strategy, of enabling business and people to move forward. A stepping stone – not just a corporate ‘transaction’.

And that’s why M&A activity has been accelerating and valuations have been strong. But that doesn’t mean deals are easy to do. The expectations and standards have changed and if you want to succeed via these routes, you’ll need to understand the new requirements. 

A new honesty 

If many acquisitions or sales are going to be a means to an end, rather than just an end in themselves, a different tone and depth of discussion will be required and different issues will affect the relationship between buyer and seller. 

Any seller who thinks that it only takes a couple of years of good numbers to realise value, will always have been disappointed. But things have moved on further. Buyers are sharper and they have a clearer view of what they want to achieve beyond the financials. And with sellers looking more frequently at only a partial sale, or taking their consideration in the acquirer’s equity, there needs to be a new openness and honesty to create a strong basis for enduring, mutually beneficial relationships.

In the past, a merger has just been seen as a cosmetic word used to sell in an acquisition to sensitive stakeholders. But in this new world, where realism is more prevalent and egos much reduced, genuine partnerships can be a powerful tool for many businesses. 

Be prepared and be attractive 

A sale in the current market can certainly realise significant value or create access to capital, know-how or new markets. There are buyers in the marketplace with plenty of money to spend, they just may not be the ones you expect. And remember, the best buyers are only focused on the very best businesses. Just because your sector is hot at the moment, it doesn’t mean your business will be in demand.

Valuations are likely to be at a good level and, of course, this is good news for sellers, but the evaluation criteria used by acquirers have broadened and deepened. Scrutiny is now at a much higher level. Not just on the ability to grow and generate increased profits, but on being able to continually innovate, optimise returns and fend off challenges. Technology and IP will really count, but so too will purpose, culture and employee commitment. And leadership teams will be looked at even more closely. 

As a seller you’ll also need to think carefully about future roles, remuneration and contractual restrictions. Your view of how things will work in the future may differ significantly from those of potential new owners.

Attracting the acquirer you want, on the terms you want, will require preparation and commitment, long before you start engaging and negotiating with potential partners.

The game has changed for buying too

You may have funds and be looking to grow, but there is tough competition out there for the best deals. With so many fundamental market changes, buyers will need to be crystal clear on their own strategy in order to identify the most beneficial acquisition targets.

And then, how should the recent Covid disruptions be assessed? Growth and profit records may have been distorted, customers and staff commitment challenged and leadership teams tested. It’s now much harder to identify the future winners – and losers.  Many pre-Covid stars will only fade in the future and many well-led businesses will have discovered their magic during recent times. 

Pricing is also more complicated today. But whatever the price, it’s about the value that the acquirer can create after the transaction. So, there is an even greater need to understand markets and anticipate future changes. 

There will be good opportunities for value creation and leaders should not be put off M&A activity. But as well as finding the right targets, buyers will also have to look carefully at their own positioning, culture and management style to ensure they are an attractive destination for the discerning seller.

Be bold but be aware

So, with the sector being buoyant and in demand, leaders should certainly view M&A activity as a valid tool to help fulfil their ambitions. But you’ll need a clear ambition, a sharp strategy and strong management. And those of you who want to seize these opportunities will need to think differently and embrace the new requirements of M&A.

The post Thinking Differently About Mergers and Acquisitions appeared first on PerformanceIN.

Since its inception as Clickbooth in 2002, the company which comprises of Perform[cb] Network and Perform[cb] Agency has achieved consistent growth via organic means and, more recently, a series of strategic acquisitions.

It is now trusted by numerous brands – including LendingTree, Freshly, and BET+ – to deliver consistent, quality customer acquisitions at high volumes through exclusive affiliate channels.

Erin Cigich, CEO of Perform[cb] said: “This partnership with Beringer Capital is an exciting milestone and is a testament to the hard work and passion our team of industry veterans has poured into the business.

“The performance marketing space is rapidly expanding and evolving, and we are confident in our ability to drive the industry forward. We believe that, with their expertise in digital marketing and advertising, Beringer is the ideal partner to help Perform[cb] bring further innovation and continuous momentum to the industry. We have enjoyed our partnership with Centre Lane Partners and appreciated their support of our journey.”

Beringer Capital has established a track record of partnering with companies in the marketing services industry, notably including media and events company Adweek, to unlock tangible value and drive lasting results. With expertise in digital marketing, technology, and customer experience, the Beringer Capital team seems well positioned to support the next phase of Perform[cb]’s growth.

Gil Ozir, Managing Partner of Beringer Capital said: “Perform[cb] has become a distinguished leader in the performance marketing space because of their groundbreaking technology and talented team.

“We are committed to providing the resources and support they need to expand their success, and we look forward to advancing the company’s vision of providing leading and emerging brands with accountable, transparent, and brand-safe opportunities to acquire customers at scale.”

Kenneth Lau, Managing Director of Centre Lane Partners concluded: “We are grateful to have partnered with the Perform[cb] management team. Under their leadership, the company has grown significantly. We are excited about all the opportunities ahead for Perform[cb] and their new partners.”

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Impact’s second acquisition of 2021 furthers its investment in the partnership economy, offering technology solutions to brands, publishers, and now agencies in order to help them successfully manage and grow partnerships.

As Google and Apple move to phase out third-party cookies and the IDFA, brands are increasingly turning to partnerships as an alternative to reach consumers in a more authentic and effective way. Impact has built an all-encompassing partnership automation solution for brands and publishers, and in acquiring Affluent it hopes to further expand its Partnership Cloud solution for agencies.

Affluent enables agencies to aggregate affiliate data from multiple networks and platforms, automate and generate custom reporting, and optimise clients’ partnerships with publishers in a single platform. Affluent’s agency clients have grown their client portfolio by 144% on average.

What is the aim of the acquisition?

David A. Yovanno, CEO of Impact said: “Partnerships are surging as an effective way for brands to surpass competitors in terms of growth. But with hundreds of platforms and affiliate networks out there, agencies today require a centralised platform to effectively aggregate and analyse data to optimise the many partnership programmes they manage.

“With the acquisition of Affluent, Impact is committed to providing comprehensive analytics and affiliate management abilities to agencies, brands, and publishers, and to further innovation specifically for agencies.”

Yonatan Dotan, Founder and CEO of Affluent said: “Impact has proven time and again that they are committed to advancing the Partnership Economy by providing brands, publishers, and now, agencies with best in class technology to drive growth.

“We look forward to working together to further advance our technology and enable agencies to easily manage their client portfolios, automate reports and ultimately optimise the performance of those programmes across all partnership types.”

This acquisition marks another step in the Impact’s strategic growth plan, and is a promising sign of the future of partner marketing.

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Trackonomics provides full-funnel revenue attribution at the page and the link level for some of the largest and most recognisable names in digital commerce transformation. This enables publishers to know exactly how every page is generating income or losing it.

This technology enables publishers to make better and quicker decisions, for instance what to write about and who to partner with across all segments and networks in the industry. Trackonomics has doubled its revenue and client roster in the past 12 months, showing that it is resonating among publishers.

David. A. Yovanno, CEO at Impact said: “The consumer backlash against disruptive and let’s face it, annoying ads, has led to Google’s upcoming changes to tracking cookies and Apple’s privacy updates, which most would agree is a move in the right direction…unless you ask marketers.

“But content publishers have innovated new content formats that introduce a degree of authenticity that has been missing in traditional advertising. Brands now have opportunities to leverage that consumer trust through partnerships with these content publishers.”

Maintaining audience’s trust by adhering to integrity standards and ensuring the brand or product they endorse aligns with their publication and most importantly, audience, is key for publishers.

Hanan Maayan, CEO at Trackonomics said: “We are thrilled to be partnering with Impact – a company that has technology and innovation in its very foundation, and a strong global presence that can bring Trackonomics to new publishers across the globe.

“Together, we will continue to build game changing products for influencers and commerce-centric publishers, work to reduce deal friction and increase volume and velocity across our industry.”

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The Seattle-based firm of ex-Amazon employees specialises in strategic account management and operational services for brands like Gerber and Pantone.

The acquisition brings together Tinuiti’s Amazon marketing services and Ortega’s 60+ years of combined expertise, including strategic retail operations, A9 search optimisation, negotiating vendor contracts and trade terms and more.

Zach Morrison, CEO of Tinuiti, said: “Tinuiti with Ortega is where full-service meets full-funnel. If we learned anything from the acceleration of e-commerce that started with the pandemic, it’s that clients need strategic and operational support in addition to advertising services to ensure sustained and profitable growth. Commerce brands of the future require a new model that goes deeper than just media and that’s what this acquisition achieves.”

In a joint statement, Adam Ortega and Phil Stolt, managing partners of Ortega Group, said: “few organisations have a true seat at the table with clients and Amazon, and even fewer have the reputation that Tinuiti has. We wanted a partner that could not only offer complementary services to our clients but could also allow our expertise to scale.” The two managing partners are former Amazon employees who co-founded Ortega Group in 2013.

“The fastest growing brands on Amazon focus not just on promotion and advertising but have sophisticated strategies that drive price and product decisions to take advantage of Amazon’s endless shelf,” said Nii Ahene, chief strategy officer at Tinuiti. “Ortega Group has built a business that helps brands level up and execute across these dimensions and we’re excited to bring their solutions to our clients.”

The deal further solidifies Tinuiti’s market position as Triopoly leaders. With the support of Tinuiti’s partners, the acquisition marks another step in the company’s strategic growth plan to deepen its expertise in marketplaces and retail media, and to continue expanding their service of clients globally on Amazon.

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