By Business & Finance 
The Javelin Group today announced the acquisition of Dublin-based digital agency Brand Social, which will join the group as the digital marketing wing of its business.
Discussions have been ongoing between the two agencies for several months now and the acquisition, for an undisclosed sum, was completed in December 2013. Brand Social employees have relocated to the Javelin Group offices in Smithfield, bringing the total employee headcount of the combined agency to 36.
Ken Stanley and Ray Doyle of Brand Social will continue in their roles as managing director and creative director respectively, with Javelin taking a controlling stake in the business.
Joe Dobbin, Conor Kennedy and Paul Myers founded the Javelin Group in Dublin in 1986. Currently the group comprises Javelin Advertising, Javelin Direct, Javelin Media and now Brand Social, which will be rebranded as Javelin Digital later in the year. Javelin Group clients include Toyota, Bacardí, Irish Ferries, Davy Select, Focus Ireland, Arnotts, Betfair and BT (British Telecom) Ireland.
Brand Social was established in 2009 and are specialists in digital and social media marketing. Their core service offering includes digital and social strategy, mobile advertising, digital creative services and programming. The agency counts Universal Pictures, the Digital Marketing Institute, GreenLetterbox.com and the Irish Management Institute amongst its clients.
Ken Stanley says: “This is a really exciting time for Brand Social. The marriage of our expertise in digital marketing to Javelin Group’s experience, pedigree and wider service offering means we’re part of Ireland’s largest independent full-service communications group. Brand Social and Javelin also have a very similar culture and ethos so the fit was evident as soon as we started discussing a potential merger.”
Brand Social will be focusing on growing the digital aspect of the Group’s business in 2014. Stanley adds: “We’ve serviced our clients well with digital over the last few years but now that we have some of the best digital talent in Ireland under our roof, we plan on taking full advantage of it” says Joe Dobbin, who heads up the Javelin Group of companies, “Channel neutral thinking has defined Javelin since our inception. It led us to start Ireland’s first specialist direct marketing agency. The acquisition of enhanced digital capabilities underlines our commitment to this approach, and to offering Group clients significant resource in every relevant area.”
