IPG rolls out new martech company Kinesso in Asia

Interpublic Group is launching its new data-driven martech company in key Asian markets today. The new brand, Kinesso, has been formed from IPG’s programmatic unit Cadreon along with IPG’s data and technology group.  Cadreon, and its leadership team, will keep its independence and branding, but now becomes part of Kinesso. Eventually, Kinesso and Cadreon work spaces will be independent offices.

Run out of New York by CEO Arun Kumar, who remains IPG’s chief data and marketing technology officer, Kinesso was quietly launched in the US, UK, Ireland and Australia in early October. Today, it launches in Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, Germany and The Netherlands.  

Operating as an independent business unit, but aligned closely with Mediabrands and Acxiom, Kinesso’s focus will be on creating new software and data security tools, data-driven campaign optimization, and audience targeting, including omnichannel addressable media activations for campaigns and consultative services.  The new unit will serve all IPG network agencies.

“With the acquisition of Acxiom, we signaled our intent to lean into data-driven marketing, as well as position ourselves as brands’ trusted partner in their first party data management,” Interpublic Group chairman and CEO Michael Roth stated in an earlier release. “Kinesso furthers this vision by bringing together top data and technology talent with addressable media experts, and leveraging Acxiom’s assets and capabilities.”

In an interview with Campaign published earlier this year, Kumar, who has overseen the Acxiom integration for IPG, hinted that the Acxiom would play a larger role in powering IPG’s entire network offering. He also extolled Axciom’s ethical sourcing of data, something underscored by IPG in the Kinesso launch, noting the new company “will uphold world-class privacy standards” and will take care in sourcing, handling and securing consumer data.

For now, Kinesso's focus in APAC will be about growing scale and ensuring global consistency. But with global product hubs sitting in the Philippines and India, the region will have a key role in technology development at the new company.

When Kinesso is fully deployed across 70+ markets next year, IPG says it will have 1400 employees globally.