• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, April 6, 2022

Havas Group on Wednesday announced the acquisition of Search Laboratory, a digital agency focused on data, with offices in Leeds, London, Austin and New York. The company, a Google Marketing Platform partner, is now part of Havas Media Group. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Search Laboratory, founded in 2005, has approximately 150 employees that support data-driven digital marketing campaigns across 35 countries for some of the world’s leading brands, such as UiPath, Appian, and Burton Snowboards, among others.

The company supports clients through Google Analytics 360, Search Ads 360, Display & Video 360, Tag Manager, Data Studio, and more, according to its website. Services also include search engine optimization, programmatic display, social media, and website translation.

Patrick Affleck, CEO, Havas Media Group UK and Ireland, believes the acquisition will boost the company’s digital and data capabilities for clients.

As the industry prepares for a cookieless future, their advanced data and analytics services will enable our clients to better activate and extract strategic value from their first-party data, he stated.

Search Laboratory CEO Chris Attewell and Search Laboratory Founder and Executive Chairman Ian Harris will continue to lead the agency.

Attwell began his career in export sales and marketing before working in digital. He also worked in email and marketing automation prior to joining Search Laboratory in 2012.

A search for Harris on Google returns an inactive link to the company's website.

The snippet on Google reveals that he launched the company "in his back bedroom to fill a gap in the market for a data-driven multilingual PPC agency" in the early 2000s. 

Search Laboratory will integrate into Havas Media Group, reporting into the UK business as a core part of its offering alongside Havas Media, Havas Entertainment and Havas Market.

The acquisition further strengthens the media group’s digital marketing and data capabilities internationally, as well as enabling it to tap into a new talent pool outside of its existing offices in London and Manchester.

The company also is looking to expand its Austin, Texas office, as it looks for a marketing lead, and to hire experts in paid social, paid media, SEO, and digital public relations.