Dentsu hops to it with acquisition of US digital marketer Leapfrog

Japanese advertising giant Dentsu has agreed to buy US digital marketer Leapfrog.

The Tokyo-based company said it would acquire a 100 per cent stake in Leapfrog, whose proprietary LFX Conversion Platform aims to optimise the consumer experience via channels ranging from social media to physical stores.

Leapfrog, which is headquartered in Illinois, generated revenue of $32m in the 12 months ended December 2016 and employs 150 people, most of who are software engineers and data scientists.

Dentsu said the impact of the transaction on its results for the fiscal year ending December 2017 was expected to be minimal.

Leapfrog will become part of Dentsu Group’s global network brands, iProspect.

Dentsu said:

The addition of Leapfrog’s conversion technology will further enhance iProspect’s performance media capabilities, sharpening iProspect’s ability to deliver real-time, personalized consumer experiences throughout the entire path to purchase, from
initial impression to conversion.

Dentsu shares closed flat in Tokyo.