mcgarrybowen Launches in Amsterdam Through Acquisition of Award-Winning Agency ACHTUNG!

Dentsu Aegis Network today announces the acquisition of ACHTUNG!, a high performing and award-winning creative agency headquartered in Amsterdam. ACHTUNG! will become part of Dentsu Aegis Network’s global creative agency mcgarrybowen, further boosting its presence in Europe.

ACHTUNG! was founded ten years ago by Dick Buschman and Mervyn ten Dam, and works with an enviable portfolio of A-list and international brands including Vodafone, Philips, Heineken and Google. As a creative agency for the digital era, ACHTUNG! supports its clients through creative brand campaigns and innovative and design-led digital services. With a strong team of 40 creatives, designers and producers, ACHTUNG! has been named Agency of the Year by digital and advertising award juries in 2007, 2009, 2013 and 2015, as well as receiving high-profile international awards from Cannes Lions, Eurobest, Epica and others.

After opening with great success in London, mcgarrybowen announced the acquisition of Paris-based agency Same Same but different in late 2015 to strengthen its European and luxury offerings. Now, Amsterdam based ACHTUNG! will serve as mcgarrybowen’s third creative hub in Europe, taking advantage of the growing reputation of Amsterdam as an international hotspot for business creativity.

Following the acquisition, Dick Buschman, founder of ACHTUNG!, will continue to lead his successful and award-winning business with support from his existing management team and will report into Julius Minnaar, CEO of Dentsu Aegis Network Netherlands.

Dick Buschman, founder of ACHTUNG!, said: “It’s a great time for creativity. The boundaries between advertising and content, branding and commerce, and media and technology are blurring and our clients increasingly ask for integrated communications and design solutions suited for the digital age. Together with mcgarrybowen and Dentsu Aegis Network, we believe we can unify creativity and innovation on an international scale.”

Gordon Bowen, Founder and Global Chairman of mcgarrybowen, said: “When we met the ACHTUNG! team there was an immediate connection with similar views on culture, innovation and creativity. We are very excited to welcome them to our growing family and thrilled to have another powerhouse European hub to better serve our clients regionally and globally.”

Julius Minnaar, CEO of Dentsu Aegis Network Netherlands, added: “We are very proud to welcome ACHTUNG! to our network and help us boost our creative profile in Amsterdam. As local market leader in digital media we look forward to collaborating with mcgarrybowen and ACHTUNG! to claim a leading position on the intersection of creativity, media and technology.”

This acquisition is part of mcgarrybowen’s strategy expansion by launching new offices in top creative international hubs. ACHTUNG! will complement mcgarrybowen’s growing international network, which now includes offices in London, Paris, Shanghai, Singapore, Hong Kong and São Paulo, in addition to its U.S. offices in New York, Chicago, San Francisco and San Antonio.

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For further information contact:

Kirsten Doddy Global Head of Corporate Communications Dentsu Aegis Network  T: +44 79720 492 400  E: Kirsten.Doddy@dentsuaegis.com

Jelmer Laven  PR and Communications Advisor Dentsu Aegis Network Netherlands T: +31 6 49 308 293 E: Jelmer.Laven@dentsuaegis.com

Notes to Editors:

About Dentsu Aegis Network

Part of Dentsu Inc., Dentsu Aegis Network is made up of nine global network brands - Carat, Dentsu, Dentsu media, iProspect, Isobar, mcgarrybowen, MKTG, Posterscope and Vizeum and supported by its specialist/multi-market brands. Dentsu Aegis Network is Innovating the Way Brands Are Built for its clients through its best-in-class expertise and capabilities in media, digital and creative communications services. Offering a distinctive and innovative range of products and services, Dentsu Aegis Network is headquartered in London and operates in 123 countries worldwide with over 27,000 dedicated specialists. 

www.dentsuaegisnetwork.com

About mcgarrybowen

mcgarrybowen is a global, full-service, integrated marketing communications agency network headquartered in New York, with offices in Chicago, San Francisco, San Antonio, London, Shanghai, São Paulo, Singapore, Hong Kong and Paris. Part of the Dentsu Aegis Network, the Agency was founded in 2002 on a simple request to clients: “Give us your biggest challenge.” Over the decade since, mcgarrybowen has grown to become one of the most successful agency start-ups ever, earning “Agency of the Year” honors from Advertising Age in 2009 and again from both Ad Age and Adweek in 2011. Famous for big organizing ideas and “work that works,” mcgarrybowen counts some of the world’s most iconic companies as its clients, including Intel, Procter & Gamble, Disney, Dr Pepper Snapple Group, The Kraft Heinz Company, Mondelēz International, Marriott, United Airlines, Chevron, Northrop Grumman, and Crayola.

www.mcgarrybowen.com/