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JWT continues WPP small acquisition policy with stake in Brazilian ‘user experience’ agency Try

214px-Flag_of_Brazil.svgWPP boss Sir Martin Sorrell seems to be sticking to his policy of making small acquisitions in fast-growing markets – his AKQA bought something or other the other day – and now JWT has bought a majority stake in Brazil’s Cairos Usabilidade Eireli – which seems to equate to ‘Try’ – a user experience agency in Brazil that designs and develops custom web, mobile, desktop and touch-enabled applications.

Try’s clients include Itaú Bank, Porto Seguro, Electrolux, SKY, Serasa-Experian, Havaianas, Prontmed, and Kate Spade. Founded in 2003, the company employs 22 people and is based in São Paulo. Try’s consultancy business covers user experience, interaction design and prototyping.

Brazil is now WPP’s WPP’s eighth largest market, with nearly 6000 people generating revenues of $650m. In Latin America, WPP companies (including associates) collectively generate revenues of over $1.6 billion, employing 20,000 people. WPP’s most recent annualised revenue is $17.3bn.

So Try is a small fish in a very large WPP pool. WPP’s Sorrell still has the firepower to make a big acquisition or two but, in the last year or two, hasn’t shown the appetite to do so. The last big one was digital agency AKQA a couple of years ago.

But no doubt he will confound us one of these days – as he does.

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