WPP Australia and New Zealand has acquired martech company Dominion in New Zealand.
Dominion was established in 2011. It has been previously recognised in New Zealand for its Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) development, with the biggest team in the market.
“Acquiring Dominion supports our strategy of combining technology and commerce with experience and communication services," WPP AUNZ CEO Jens Monsees says.
"New Zealand clients are advancing quickly in this space and this acquisition is as an investment to support this important market.”
Dominion's capabilities will be integrated into the company’s offering through a merger with WPP AUNZ's global innovation and experience design agency AKQA.
Dominion will join AKQA’s Auckland studio immediately, adding special talent to a well-established AKQA team.
Brian Vella, AKQA managing partner, Asia Pacific, says by fusing the martech capabilities of the two businesses, AKQA will have a "market leading" offer in New Zealand.
“AKQA has already been recognised as achieving ‘Adobe Campaign Specialisation’ status. The acquisition of Dominion advances our New Zealand ambition and partnership with Adobe in a big way, in our fastest growing market,” Vella says.
“We continue to be focused on what our clients need most both now and in the future."
The move comes on the back of AKQA's recent merger with Switched On and the 2017 acquisition of Union Digital.
Dominion CEO and founder Marcel Blake says joining WPP and AKQA will mark a new chapter for the company's team.
"It complements our existing service offering and will enable us to continue to innovate with the opportunity to branch out into experience design, content and creative services," Blake says.
"AKQA has a strong vision and we are looking forward to working with our clients in a full-service capacity."
Blake will take on a new role as operations director, reporting to AKQA New Zealand managing director Stephen Forth.
“Dominion has an amazing reputation and team, and we’re excited to have them on board. It’s all about the future, faster," Forth says.
“This new joint entity will provide even further opportunities to challenge the market and create a better future with AKQA’s client base by offering rich, innovative brand storytelling throughout the entire customer journey, bringing clients’ long-term brand purpose to life while maintaining a laser focus on short term performance."
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