Serviceplan Group (Germany), Unlimited Group (UK) and Hakuhodo Group (Japan) partner to create a global offering rooted in local insight

The three independent agency groups – Serviceplan, Hakuhodo and Unlimited – have signed a strategic alliance to provide clients and prospects with a genuine global offering based on locally rooted insight. This unprecedented cooperation is designed to offer existing clients and prospects a global presence based on regional expertise.

Serviceplan Group has announced the formation of a global alliance with Japanese agency group Hakuhodo (headquartered in Tokyo, Japan) and Unlimited (headquartered in London, UK). This global alliance will mean that the Serviceplan, Hakuhodo and the Unlimited Group alliance can respond to the increasing need for fully integrated communication services in the UK, Japan and South East Asia. Furthermore, the alliance will add further locations in Asia to the Serviceplan Group in Japan, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam, in addition to the Serviceplan Group’s own locations in China (Shanghai and Beijing) and Malaysia.

Together, the UK, German and Japanese agencies are building joint teams to provide data driven, customer-centric, integrated solutions that will transform clients’ business around the world, with a presence in all major markets. The alliance will enable the three to serve existing clients and pitch for global business as a single unit, with a flexible approach to working together. Unlimited, Serviceplan and Hakuhodo have already teamed up for a pan European pitch due to take place in the first quarter of 2019.

UK-based Unlimited, and Europe’s biggest independent network Serviceplan – which has more than 4,000 employees in offices across Europe as well as in New York, Dubai, Seoul, Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong – have both worked on BMW for a number of years.

Like Unlimited Group, Serviceplan, through its “House of Communications,” houses a number of specialist agencies across CRM, digital, research, PR and advertising. Hakuhodo has offices in 20 countries and regions across Asia, employing 10,000 people.

In Europe, UK agency Unlimited completes the Serviceplan Group’s service offering. The aim of this partnership is to offer global companies an integrated service offering. Unlimited and Serviceplan first signed a partnership agreement in 2014.

This partnership also offers mutually beneficial expertise internationally across the alliance in the fields of creativity, media, data and technology.

Florian Haller, CEO of the Serviceplan Group (pictured left) said, “We are really excited about collaborating with one of the key players in South-East Asia. The affinity with our philosophy at Serviceplan was clear from our initial personal contact. As a result of this unique alliance between agency groups rooted in Germany, Japan and the UK, we can offer our clients the best service in the major economic region of South-East Asia”

This new strategic alliance with Hakuhodo Group is based on an existing partnership between Serviceplan Group and Unlimited Group. Unlimited Group is an award-winning digital agency group offering seven core disciplines, each led by a core agency. Unlimited Group have 850 people based in London, Bristol, Winchester and New York.

The Serviceplan Group has experienced rapid international expansion over the past ten years. In 2006 CEO Florian Haller first started to bring to life his vision of creating the world’s first independent global agency group originating in Germany.

Since 2011, as Managing Director of Serviceplan International, Markus Noder has been responsible for elevating the agency group to an international level. On 1 January 2018, he was appointed as the new Holding Managing Director of the Serviceplan Group.

Tim Bonnet, President of the Unlimited Group (pictured right) commented, “We have had a relationship with Hakuhodo and partnership agreement with Serviceplan for a number of years and as this grew in success, we are delighted to formalise this into a global alliance. We are really excited about the expanded offering and capabilities this will bring to our existing clients as well as the agile, innovative and data lead offering we can offer new clients on a global scale.”

Masayuki Mizushima Hakuhodo President and CEO Hakuhodo (pictured centre) added, “In a time where our clients are faced with change as never anticipated before with the dramatic evolution of technology and acceleration of globalization, this strategic alliance with our longtime friends, the Unlimited Group and Serviceplan, is based on a firm belief and respect for the “sei-katsu-sha,”or living consumer — always taking on a central role where human emotions, thoughts and dreams reside. This belief leads us to an alliance that is built beyond the data driven approach and elevated to reflect our “sei-katsu-sha” Consumer Driven – Data Proven positioning.”

Markus Noder, Managing Director of Serviceplan International, explains: “This global alliance is the next step in being able to provide our customers with a truly ‘global’ service offering. Hakuhodo is a respected trans-national agency group in Asia and the number two in Japan. Furthermore, we already have a long history of success with the Unlimited Group.”

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