Aegis Group Gets Creative

Agency holding company Aegis Group today announced its first creative acquisition in the U.K., London-based boutique agency de-construct. The unit will become part of Isobar, the digital services arm created last summer.

De-construct, founded in 2001, handles digital creative for such clients as Panasonic, adidas, Universal Pictures, BMG, and BBC Radio 1. Aegis will pay $2.23 million up front under the deal’s terms, with additional deferred payments up to $9 million tied to performance benchmarks over the next three years.

In the U.S., Aegis interactive agency acquisitions include Lot 21, now rolled into Carat Interactive, and Isobar unit Freestyle Interactive.

de-construct, which will work with Aegis’ Diffiniti and Carat Digital as well as continue to service its own clients, marks the holding company’s first foray into creative services in the U.K. “We have a very clear vision of how digital is transforming the way that consumers and brands come together,” said Nigel Morris, Isobar’s worldwide president, in a statement. “We are developing a full digital service in many ways, but digital creative is at the heart of what we are creating. De-construct are as passionate as we are, and I’m confident it will be a great partnership for our clients and network.”

“We’ll be looking, really seeking out creative talent wherever it may be,” Morris told ClickZ. He added, referring to Isobar’s acquisitive tendencies in all aspects of digital media, “It’s absolutely not going to stop.”

Isobar’s been on an acquisitive tear lately. This marks the unit’s ninth acquisition in six months. Most recently, Isobar acquired search marketing firm iProspect. Isobar’s current network of companies operates in 25 markets worldwide and has online billings over $500 million.