Dentsu Group strengthens Customer Transformation & Technology capabilities with Pexlify acquisition, enhancing Merkle's Salesforce offering

LONDON, June 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Dentsu Group Inc. (Tokyo: 4324) (ISIN: JP3551520004) President & CEO: Hiroshi Igarashi; Head Office: Tokyo; Capital: 74,609.81 million yen) announced today that it has entered an agreement to acquire Pexlify, a leading Salesforce consultancy based in the UK and Ireland. Pexlify will join Merkle, a leading technology-enabled, data-driven customer experience management (CXM) company within Dentsu Group's international business, Dentsu International.

With this acquisition, Pexlify further bolsters Merkle's existing Salesforce capabilities, adding scale and additional geography in the UK and Ireland for B2B and B2C clients. It adds expertise in Salesforce Sales, Service, and Experience Cloud solutions and further expands Merkle's existing offering in Salesforce Commerce and Marketing Clouds.

Dentsu Group has more than 1,300 Salesforce trained staff and over 3,000 Salesforce certifications, providing customer experience transformation solutions that are aligned with Salesforce cloud capabilities. In the UK, Merkle's Salesforce offering is underpinned by its longstanding expertise in outcome-led customer experience, driven by data and enabled by marketing technology, cementing its unique positioning in the Salesforce ecosystem.

The acquisition demonstrates Dentsu Group's commitment to enabling clients to deliver best-in-class differentiated and connected experiences across the entire customer journey. It aligns with Dentsu Group's stated ambition of reaching 50% of net revenue generated by Customer Transformation & Technology (CT&T)*, encompassing the fast growth areas of customer experience and commerce.

Founded in 2015, Pexlify is a leading Salesforce implementation partner with 150 staff across its Dublin, London, Frankfurt, and Poland offices. It provides strategy, implementation, and integration services to clients including Allianz, Amazon, Bank of Ireland, Hilti, and Zurich.

Margaret Wagner, EMEA President, Merkle, said: "Pexlify provides a fantastic opportunity for Merkle to significantly extend our Salesforce services – adding scale and capability and supporting our ambitions for growth in these important markets with our key strategic partners."

Stephen Lambert, CEO, Pexlify, said, "I am very excited about today's announcement. Our incredible growth and success as a Salesforce partner wouldn't be possible without the hard work of our team. With the similarities in our values, culture, and ambitions, I am delighted to join Merkle to bring the benefits and opportunities it offers to our people, our clients, and our partnership with Salesforce."

Pexlify's employees will make the transition to Merkle, along with Lambert, and the Pexlify leadership team. Lambert will report directly to the UK CEO of Merkle, Anne Stagg. The company will be known as "Pexlify, a Merkle Company" with immediate effect and develop joint go-to-market plans and accelerate growth across both businesses.

*Customer Transformation & Technology (CT&T)

High growth business domain including the services related to marketing technology, customer experience management, commerce, system integration, and transformation & growth strategy.

About Dentsu Group (dentsu)

Led by Dentsu Group Inc. (Tokyo: 4324; ISIN: JP3551520004), a pure holding company established on January 1, 2020, the Dentsu Group encompasses two operational networks: dentsu japan network, which oversees Dentsu's agency operations in Japan, and dentsu international, its international business headquarters in London, which oversees Dentsu's agency operations outside of Japan.

With a strong presence in approximately 145 countries and regions across five continents and with 65,000 dedicated professionals, the Dentsu Group provides a comprehensive range of client-centric integrated communications, media and digital services through its six leadership brands—Carat, dentsu X, iProspect, Isobar, dentsumcgarrybowen, and Merkle—as well as through Dentsu Japan Network companies, including Dentsu Inc., the world's largest single brand agency with a history of innovation. The Group is also active in the production and marketing of sports and entertainment content on a global scale.

Dentsu Group Inc. website: https://www.group.dentsu.com/en/

About Merkle

Merkle, a dentsu company, is a leading data-driven customer experience management (CXM) company that specializes in the delivery of unique, personalized customer experiences across platforms and devices. For more than 30 years, Fortune 1000 companies and leading nonprofit organizations have partnered with Merkle to maximize the value of their customer portfolios. The company's heritage in data, technology, and analytics forms the foundation for its unmatched skills in understanding consumer insights that drive hyper-personalized marketing strategies. Its combined strengths in consulting, creative, media, analytics, data, identity, CX/commerce, technology, and loyalty & promotions drive improved marketing results and competitive advantage. With more than 14,000 employees, Merkle is headquartered in Columbia, Maryland, with 50+ additional offices throughout the Americas, EMEA, and APAC. For more information, contact Merkle at 1-877-9-Merkle or visit www.merkleinc.com.    

About Pexlify

Pexlify is a leading Salesforce Summit and MuleSoft partner. With a team of over 150 certified experts, 1000+ projects completed and 450+ certifications, we leverage our strong digital transformation capabilities and the deep industry expertise we have gained working with clients in industries such as Financial Services, Hi-Tech, Consumer Goods and Healthcare. Headquartered in Dublin, and with offices in London, Frankfurt, and Poland, we provide strategic guidance, discovery sessions, design workshops and business process analysis through to deployment, change management and ongoing support.

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1842258/Pexlify_Logo.jpg