A Closer Look at FFW's Transition to JAKALA

On April 21, 2023, JAKALA, the leading data, AI, and experiences and portfolio company of Ardian Buyout, made headlines by acquiring FFW, a prominent player in the digital experience solutions market. This acquisition represents the largest non-publicly traded digital agency deal in Europe for 2023, signaling JAKALA's commitment to expanding its global footprint and service offerings.

JAKALA, renowned for driving customer transformation through a blend of data, technology, AI, and multidisciplinary skills, entered into a binding agreement to acquire FFW. Based in Denmark, FFW operates offices in Germany, the USA, the UK, France, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Moldova, and Vietnam, providing digital transformation services to major enterprises and corporations. This strategic move strengthens JAKALA's presence worldwide, expanding its workforce from over 2,000 professionals to over 3,000 and pushing its turnover beyond €500 million.

The acquisition underscores JAKALA's mission to deliver innovative solutions in a fast-changing market. Both companies are focused on leveraging technology and data to enhance sales, marketing, and digital experiences for their clients. Stefano Pedron, CEO of JAKALA, highlighted the significance of the acquisition: 

"This latest acquisition enhances JAKALA's position in the market and represents a crucial step on our international growth path. With FFW, we strengthen and expand our digital offering, and we bring our foreign turnover above 50% of the total."

Strategic Reasons Behind the Merger

The decision to merge FFW with JAKALA was driven by two main strategic factors: the combination of services and geographical expansion. FFW's clients increasingly demanded marketing capabilities beyond FFW's core competencies, risking client migration to competitors. Simultaneously, JAKALA needed to expand and broaden its tech capabilities. Michael Drejer, CEO of FFW (now Regional Head SVP Nordics, UK, Germany & France DXP at JAKALA), expressed his enthusiasm about the merger in the press release.

"At FFW, we are absolutely thrilled to become a part of JAKALA. This collaboration marks the perfect next step in our quest to deliver the ultimate client experience."

Geographically, JAKALA's rapid expansion benefited from FFW's established positions in markets such as Germany, the Nordics, the UK, and the US, accelerating JAKALA's ambitious growth plans. Matteo de Brabant, Founder and President of JAKALA, stated,

 "JAKALA and FFW have a lot in common: their history and DNA are both committed to innovation and growth. This is an exciting journey that sees JAKALA getting closer to the goal of becoming one of the biggest digital companies worldwide."

Organizational Integration and Cultural Synergy

Despite their different backgrounds and histories, integrating the company cultures of FFW and JAKALA was a complex but well-executed process. Both organizations have gone through a full organizational merger, parts of the organization are dedicated to the business line DXP (Digital Experience Platform), and the other part is focused on continuously strengthening the countries with this new updated offering.

JAKALA and FFW focused on culture during the due diligence process, prioritizing their teams and commitment to delivering outstanding customer experiences. The shared values regarding growth objectives and methods facilitated a smooth transition. 

"Both of our organizations share a similar founder story, with the founders still actively involved in the business. We also share common values regarding our growth objectives and methods," 

Michael added in a conversation with The DropTimes.

Enhanced Service Offerings and Competitive Advantage

The merger brought about significant enhancements in service offerings for clients. With JAKALA's strong focus on data and more than 20 years of experience, the combined entity can now offer unique solutions that set them apart in the industry. JAKALA's investment in creating an AI center of excellence further strengthens its competitive edge. Michael emphasized,

"AI is the future. JAKALA very quickly invested and created an AI center of excellence that helps us all now. We have case studies and capabilities not many others in the industry can match!"

The combined expertise in strategy, technology, and activations provides a unique approach to addressing clients' challenges and driving their success. This merger allows JAKALA and FFW to offer complete solutions tailored to clients' needs, enhancing their ability to respond to current and future trends in the digital services and MarTech industry.

Future Prospects

With this acquisition, JAKALA is well-positioned to better respond to evolving market demands. The company's strong presence in various markets and its comprehensive project lifecycle capabilities enable it to operate efficiently on a global scale. This extensive reach and versatility equip JAKALA to drive success worldwide effectively.

Michael Drejer summarized the impact of the acquisition, stating, 

"Our capabilities span the entire project lifecycle: handling everything from initial concept to final build, and that allows us to provide complete solutions tailored to our clients' needs."

JAKALA's acquisition of FFW marks a significant milestone in the European digital agency market, reinforcing its global presence and enhancing its service offerings. This strategic move not only aligns with JAKALA's long-term vision and goals but also positions the company to lead in the digital services and MarTech industry.