Hakuhodo looks to make digital acquisitions

Following the Dentsu Aegis merger, all eyes were on Hakuhodo and its future plans as its global PR team made its way down to Singapore.Traditionally recognised as the challenger advertising agency brand in Japan while being the oldest, the agency is now setting its sights on the global market.“The growth, the potential, I think in the next five years is largely in China and we are also re-focusing on Asia,” Ken Odaka, supervisor, integrated planning department, public relations strategy planning division from Hakuhodo told Marketing at a media briefing.The plan moving forward is digital growth, and largely through acquisitions, Odaka said. These acquisitions would also be outside of Japan, concentrating mainly on the Southeast Asia, APAC and China markets.Traditionally, the agency has been concentrated on organic growth but there is a limit there, which is where the agency has hit, said Odaka.When asked how the Dentsu-Aegis merger had impacted the agency, Odaka said that it spurred a more global outlook for the company.“We are really paying attention to the [Dentsu-Aegis] move,” Odaka said.It will also be looking to partner non-Japanese brands. Before, partnerships for the agency meant pairing up with Japanese companies in the global market or entering a new market with Japanese brands.“But that was before and while we will continue to still do so, we will now also try to partner with companies outside of Japan, foreign companies, especially Asian companies,” Odaka added.