M&C Saatchi Group, through LIDA (its CRM agency), this week announced the acquisition of a majority stake in MCD Partners, the digital customer experience agency. The offering, which will be led by MCD Partners Co-Founders Ian Magnani, John Caruso, and Wasim Choudhury, marks another key milestone in the M&C Saatchi Group’s plan to take the LIDA offering to key global markets, starting with the launch of LIDA Australia in 2014. The deal means M&C Saatchi has purchased an initial 51% of MCD Partners. It can choose to buy 50% of the remainder from this year and the rest of the shares from 2018 on a price based on future profits.
“Our expansion into the US gives us the ability to offer clients our collective expertise”
The London-based LIDA, Campaign UK’s 2013 and 2014 Customer Engagement Agency of the Year, and Emmy Award-winning MCD Partners, share a strong background of industry leadership and digital innovation. The acquisition brings together their complementary areas of expertise, resulting in a full suite of offerings from omni-channel advanced data analytics and CRM to user experience design and creative digital marketing. Together, LIDA and MCD Partners’ collective capabilities, technologies, and platforms (including their proprietary in-house Data Room and Insight Labs) will inform design processes and engagement strategies, giving a more complete view of the consumer and helping to bring clients even closer to their customers. The acquisition went through last week, but the two agencies are already working together on two confidential pieces of business.
“We are excited about using this opportunity not only to grow into the US market, but also to enhance our talent and client capabilities in the UK and beyond”
As the Chairman & Head of Strategy for LIDA, Matthew Heath has global responsibilities at the expanding network. He is also the Chief Strategy Officer in the UK and runs the UK agency alongside Victoria Fox, the chief executive. Heath said of the acquisition: “Rather than just find a clone of LIDA in the US, we chose MCD Partners as their digital customer experience skills are a perfect partner for our own roots in CRM. We are hugely excited about using this opportunity not only to grow into the US market, but also to enhance our talent and client capabilities in the UK and beyond.” Christine Gardner, LIDA Australia Managing Director, added: “MCD Partners is a stellar addition to the LIDA network. This adds even more firepower to our local offering. Our expansion into the US gives us the ability to offer clients our collective expertise.”
“We’re thrilled to share our combined expertise with one another and with our clients, as we continue to grow and evolve”
Ian Magnani, Partner and Co-Founder of MCD Partners, said: “LIDA is an ideal partner for us, with our corresponding strengths, locations, and cultures. We value and respect each other’s unique identities, which we felt was crucial. We’re thrilled to share our combined expertise with one another and with our clients, as we continue to grow and evolve in our new partnership.” Lida’s client roster includes O2, Boots, Camelot, Comparethemarket.com, Ikea and the National Trust. MCD Partners has worked with companies including the credit card company Discover Financial Services, Samsung, Johnson & Johnson, AT&T and Sesame Workshop. The acquisition comes 18 months after LIDA’s first international expansion, with the opening of its Sydney office in July 2014, which has grown into an agency of 45 employees.
