Dentsu (the Japanese parent company of Dentsu Aegis) has acquired a majority stake in Merkle, a leading American independent data marketing agency, for a reported $US1.5 billion ($A2 billion).

Dentsu globally is known for its PR and advertising arms while Merkle specialises in analysis of first-party data (customer data). It has also grown into a global player with its own technology platforms through polishing its expertise and know-how.

With more than 650 of the world’s leading companies as its clients, Merkle has access to more than 150 marketing databases and manages more than 3.7 billion first-party data records.

The services provided by Merkle include the development of business and client strategies; management of cloud data and CRM systems; data analysis and insights; production of creative and content that leverage the most appropriate channels, media, technology and platforms; and campaign planning.

Approximately 3,400 employees, including more than 1,000 technology specialists and 500 analytics professionals, are on hand to support these integrated services.

Merkle was ranked the ninth largest network in Advertising Age’s CRM/Direct Marketing: Worldwide category, and the fifth largest network in the CRM/Direct Marketing: U.S. category in 2015.

Acquisitions are important investments to support the further growth of the Dentsu Group in several respects. These include the provision of scale, talent and new capabilities in the area of solutions that utilize data and technology, which will become even more important in the future.