Kepler Group Acquires Infectious Media

Kepler Group, part of the kyu Collective, is acquiring programmatic agency Infectious Media to strengthen its service offerings as well as expand its ability to serve clients globally. Terms weren’t disclosed.

The two firms have a shared focus on large-scale advertisers, and their combined client roster includes Hasbro, John Lewis, The New York Times, Pepsico, HSBC, and Uber.

Found in 2008, Infectious Media manages digital media activation for clients across display, social, search, video, and programmatic channels like connected TV and programmatic out-of-home. The shop also has a consulting arm.

Under the deal, Infectious Media will retain its brand name for now and adopt the Kepler name in a phased-in process. Together, the group will have nearly 400 professionals across offices in London, Singapore, New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, San Francisco, and Costa Rica.

It will also retain the ability to leverage parent company Hakuhodo DY’s other digital units to provide specialized knowledge and capabilities, particularly in Japan and additional APAC markets.

“Both firms were award-winning leaders in their home markets,” says Martin Kelly, CEO, Infectious Media. “Both firms continued to grow in 2020. But we had each independently concluded that we needed to establish a global footprint to meet clients’ expanding needs. Combining forces presented a terrific way to accomplish that.”

This deal was two years in the making, but the “extended dialogue provided us a chance to make sure the teams would fit well together,” says Rick Greenberg, CEO, Kepler. He believes the two firms share the “same DNA and ethos.”

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