• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, February 8, 2016

In a bid to boost its mobile capabilities in the UK, IPG Mediabrands has acquired Mubaloo, a mobile consultancy and app developer with offices in London and Bristol. Terms were not disclosed.

According to the agency, the move brings enterprise mobility capabilities to the group in the UK for the first time. Mubaloo will be housed within Ansible, Mediabrands’ specialist mobile division.

Established in 2009, Mubaloo has worked with clients such as Equiniti Pension Solutions; Bang & Olufsen, Haymarket, Aviva, Mitie and SEI. 

The deal is part of Mediabrands' ongoing effort to expand Ansible's footprint globally. Mulaboo will help the firm deliver end-to-end mobile programs, including consulting, creative, user experience, responsive sites, apps, enterprise integration and connected IoT technologies, such as beacons.

Additional Ansible offices will be rolled out in the coming months.

It’s the third recent acquisition of an app developer by an agency in recent weeks. Two weeks ago, WPP’s Grey bought San Francisco-based ArcTouch, and last week GreyHealth Group agreed to purchase The Lathe, based in New York.

Jason Carter, chief digital officer, EMEA, IPG Mediabrands, commented: “We saw that consumers are way ahead of brands in this space, and realized that we needed to assist our clients to move beyond just mobile media. This move helps them to develop all aspects of mobile marketing and fully leverage the opportunities that connected consumers represent.”

Mark Mason, founder and chairman of Mubaloo, added: “By joining forces with them, Mubaloo is able to expand globally and offer mobile transformation to IPG Mediabrands’ prestigious client base.”