DAN adds Indonesian performance agency to iProspect

Dentsu Aegis Network (DAN) has acquired Valuklik, an Indonesian performance-marketing agency that will merge with iProspect and be rebranded as iProspect Valuklik.

Valuklik's 55 employees, added to iProspect's current 14 in the market, will create one of the country's largest performance-marketing outfits, according to DAN.

Jakarta-based Valuklik, established in 2012, offers data-driven performance marketing, enterprise-level SEO, digital transformation and data and analytics. It is a Google Premier Partner and a Facebook Agency Partner and has clients in travel, telecom, media, ecommerce, insurance and FMCG.

The deal includes an analytics-focused subsidiary, Pinnacle, which will also be absorbed and rebranded as iProspect Pinnacle.

Founder Cleosent Randing as chairman and Rahul Nambiar as CEO of iProspect Valuklik will both report to SK Biswas, CEO of Dentsu Aegis Network Indonesia, and join the DAN Indonesia leadership team. The other shareholders, East Ventures and John Marco Rasjid are divesting their shares.

L-R: Cleosent Randing, SK Biswas, Dick van Motman, Rahul Nambiar, John Marco Rasjid

Dick van Motman, CEO of Dentsu Aegis Network Southeast Asia, said in a release that Valuklik brings strong capabilities in performance marketing and search, as well as "the needed scale that is paramount to accelerating our business". Joanna Catalano, CEO of iProspect Asia Pacific, echoed those comments, calling the acquisition "critical in cementing our position in Indonesia".

Biswas commented that Valuklik's specialist capabilities in search and performance media favourably complement the creative and media capabilities of Dwi Sapta, which DAN acquired in Janaury.

The deal is expected to close by February.