Dentsu Aegis Network has responded to the growing data needs of clients with a strategic acquisition.
The company has announced the purchase of Cardinal Path, a digital data consulting firm co-headquartered in Vancouver and Chicago, with additional offices in Toronto and Phoenix.
Cardinal Path was founded in 2011 as a merger of three web analytics and digital intelligence firms: Ottawa-based PublicInsite, Vancouver-based VKI Studios and Arizona-based WebShare.
John Hossack, president and co-founder, Cardinal Path, says his company was introduced to Dentsu Aegis through Madison Alley Global Ventures, an advising firm his team has been working with. He says what appealed to Cardinal Path’s team about Dentsu was their global presence, which will allow his company to expand its reach.
“To a large extent it is business as usual for us, we will be focused on analytics,” he says. “We are looking to be the data spine for data-related activities for their key agencies.”
Annette Warring, CEO, Dentsu Aegis Network Canada, says the acquisition is all part of the path towards a more interconnected future, with all pieces requiring data to back them up.
“We already have data capabilities in-house, but the definition of data and analytics is getting as broad as advertising,” she says. “We are quickly moving towards an ecosystem where not just media is interconnected, but also content and dynamic creative and responsive analytics. All those things have to go hand in hand. We understand that and know that we have to make investments in order to capitalize on that.”
Hossack says his team will be well-integrated into Dentsu’s operations because of Cardinal Path’s focus on results over numbers.
“CMOs want to know who their most valuable customers are, how they can engage them and engage more of them,” he says. “We want to get to the whys. That plays in really well with Dentsu’s strong agency representation in the media space.”
Following the acquisition, Hossack will report jointly to Annette Warring, CEO of Dentsu Aegis Network Canada and Robert Horler, CEO of Dentsu Aegis Network USA. Cardinal Path’s 80 digital specialists will continue to operate under its current leadership structure.
Cardinal Path’s leadership team (left to right in image): John Hossack, president and co-founder, Alex Langshur, co-founder and senior partner, Corey Koberg, co-founder and senior partner, David Booth, co-founder and senior partner and Dave Eckman, co-founder and senior partner
