Japanese ad giant Dentsu Aegis Network has acquired Branded, an events producer in the Asia-Pacific region.
Branded hosts meet-and-greet festivals across the world and is YouTube’s partner for the YouTube FanFest. Branded also hosts the Asian entertainment industry conference All That Matters, which has several sub-divisions across the entertainment industry.
According to details shared with DMN by Dentsu, the All That Matters conference will be folded into MKTG, the division of Dentsu Aegis that handles digital and social media lifestyle marketing.
Branded was founded in 2002 and featured headquarters in both Singapore and Hong Kong. The event producer handled live events including conferences, music festivals, fan fests, and even educational presentations.
Branded co-produced the YouTube FanFest events at Howard University in Washington D.C., Canada, and Saudi Arabia. These events were designed to support #YouTubeBlack, which highlighted new content creators of color. Some of YouTube’s biggest stars including Lilly Singh, Omar Hussain, and Tre Melvin participated in FanFest events around the globe. The latest FanFest event was held in Indonesia.
In China, Branded helped produce Tencent’s Music Entertainment conferences, Sorts Connects and Tencent Music Connects.
As part of the acquisition, Dentsu Aegis has announced that Branded CEO Jasper Donat will remain in his post. He will report to MKTG Asia Pacific CEO Sean O’Brien.
The Dentsu Aegis Network has ten global network brands that stretch across the globe. It’s headquartered in London and operates in more than 145 countries with more than 40,000 employees. CEO Nick Waters said acquiring Branded is important because live events are a better way to advertise.
“With the heavy disruption in the advertising model for brand building, the ability to reach live audiences carries increasing value,” Waters remarked. “As a result, lifestyle and experiential marketing is a strong growth segment in the region. Consumers will always be motivated by great content – sport, music, entertainment. Bringing Branded into our group will provide opportunities for our clients to develop strong marketing platforms from the live arena outwards, and enhance access to great talent.”