Dentsu announces the launch of Merkle in the DACH region as leading digital agencies Isobar Switzerland and Namics merge and rebrand

GENEVA, November 11th, 2020 / Patrik Gamryd appointed CEO of the merged businesses in addition to his current role as CEO of dentsu Switzerland 

 Dentsu today announces the merger of Isobar Switzerland and Namics – A Merkle Company, two leading full-service digital agencies in Switzerland, Germany and Austria. The organisational merger will be effective as of January 1st, 2021 with the Merkle rebranding to follow in Q1 of 2021. The merger brings together two leading digital transformation companies in the DACH region, adding digital experience capabilities to Merkle’s leading tech, data, CRM and analytics offering across EMEA. The company will rebrand to Merkle, which is the leading brand of dentsu’s Customer Experience Management (CXM) line of business. The new organization will be led by Patrik Gamryd across the DACH markets. 

The merger brings together two leading digital transformation companies in the DACH region, adding digital experience capabilities to Merkle’s leading tech, data, CRM and analytics offering across EMEA. The company will rebrand to Merkle, which is the leading brand of dentsu’s Customer Experience Management (CXM) line of business. The new organization will be led by Patrik Gamryd across the DACH markets. 

"I am thrilled to be leading the merger and driving our two entities to collaborate and become one united organization. Joining forces and leveraging our synergies solidifies our position as the leading agency in Switzerland and raises our already strong position in Germany and Austria. With our complementary offerings and expertise, we will deliver exceptional customer experience and bring our added value for clients to the next level."

Patrik Gamryd, CEO of dentsu’s CXM Line of Business in DACH

Merkle is a leading, data-driven, technology enabled, global customer experience management company that specializes in the delivery of unique, personal customer experiences. Namics, a full-service, digital agency with extensive digital consultancy, commerce and customer experience expertise, was acquired by dentsu international in November 2018, adding digital experience and consultancy capabilities located in Germany, Switzerland and Serbia. Isobar Switzerland was created from the acquisition in 2017 by dentsu of former Blue-Infinity, a leading digital transformation and technology agency with offices in Switzerland, Portugal and the Czech Republic. Blue-Infinity became Isobar Switzerland in 2019. The merger and rebranding into Merkle creates a business of over 1,200 digital specialists. The two companies complement the skills and expertise of Merkle’s already significant regional customer experience transformation proposition, adding scale to their areas of business transformation strategy, digital consulting and technology implementation. 

"The merger of these two strong brands opens up new opportunities for our business in the DACH region and above all for our clients. We can now offer them an even more attractive range of consulting and services and thus more comprehensive CXM solutions. With the combined expertise and capability of 1,200 digital enthusiasts, we have great potential and will become one of the most important players in the area of customer experience transformation in the DACH market."

Ulrike Handel, CEO dentsu Germany & DACH

"Bringing together Namics and Isobar Switzerland’s leading expertise in digital experience and consultancy with Merkle’s data, technology and analytics capabilities across EMEA creates a customer experience management powerhouse. It significantly scales our ability to deliver customer experience transformation, not just across the DACH countries but also strengthening our offering in the EMEA region. With Patrik leading this combined business, I am excited about the opportunity to support our DACH clients on their transformation journeys."

Margaret Wagner, the incoming president of Merkle, and CEO of dentsu’s CXM Line of Business in EMEA