Smaato and Spearhead are moving forward with the expansion of the leading global real-time mobile monetization platform
Beijing / San Francisco / Hamburg – December 21, 2016 – Beijing-based Spearhead Integrated Marketing Communication Group (SZSE: 300071) has completed its acquisition of San Francisco-based Smaato Inc. and Smaato Holding AG, the leading independent global real-time advertising platform for mobile publishers and app developers, for $148 million. The acquisition was secured through an M&A fund invested by one of Spearhead’s fully-owned subsidiaries, and formally closed today following signatures and regulatory approval.
With the growth of mobile advertising worldwide, and particularly in the Asia-Pacific region, the partnership between Smaato and Spearhead is synergistic and timely. With Smaato’s cutting-edge mobile monetization platform and global reach to 1 billion monthly unique mobile users outside of China, Spearhead now opens the door for Chinese brands to run international mobile campaigns and reach high-value users as they expand their businesses abroad.
Spearhead offers Smaato an anchor in China and the greater APAC region to more effectively reach these burgeoning mobile- and app-first markets, and the resources to accelerate the development of new, innovative mobile advertising technology, products and services. Smaato now has greater access to the 1 billion mobile users in China – representing the world’s second largest mobile advertising market – which bolsters their position as the leading independent global real-time mobile advertising platform.
Smaato CEO and co-founder Ragnar Kruse said in a statement, “Ever since we opened our APAC office six years ago, China has been a very important market for us to cultivate, and increasingly we have seen Chinese brands eager to reach international audiences. That’s what makes our partnership with Spearhead such a successful model, in that both sides are helping each other strategically advance their businesses.”
Smaato will retain its branding and name and remain largely independent within Spearhead. However, to unlock synergies between Smaato and Spearhead, a new integration team has been formed to fully leverage the scale and strategic potential of this partnership by creating an end-to-end marketing technology solution that opens new frontiers and capabilities in global advertising. With the deal now closed, Smaato and Spearhead can focus on the long-term strategy and execution of scaling the world’s leading independent mobile monetization platform with the ability to reach every mobile user, no matter their device or location.
About Smaato and Spearhead
Smaato is the leading global real-time mobile advertising platform, connecting 10,000+ advertisers – including 91 of the Top 100 Ad Age brands – with over 90,000 app developers and mobile web publishers. Smaato manages up to 10 billion mobile ad impressions daily and reaches over 1 billion unique mobile users monthly. Founded in 2005 by an experienced international management team, Smaato’s global headquarters are in San Francisco, California, with additional regional headquarters in Hamburg, Germany, and Singapore. Learn more at www.smaato.com.
Spearhead IMC Group [ChiNEXT Shenzhen, 300071] A-share listed company, is one of the largest Integrated Marketing Communication Groups in China. Founded in 2003 in Beijing, Spearhead is committed to being the leading globalized and digitized all-in-one communication group, connecting people and brands by maximizing the synergies of entertainment, fashion & lifestyle, social content and marketing big data. Through its operating companies, Spearhead provides a comprehensive range of marketing solutions including Advertising and PR communication, Experiential marketing, Digital marketing, Content marketing and Big Data marketing. Through full collaboration of its subsidiaries and brands, such as Trust & Belief, D&S, Allyes, YOKA.com and Smaato, Spearhead offers its clients seamless access to its tools and expertise platform from offline to online, from field marketing execution to full media communication, from big content to big data. The company employs over 2500 people and has built up a network of 200,000 field promoters/brand ambassadors/field data collectors to cover 400+ cities all over China. For more information, visit www.spearhead.com.cn.
