12th January 2023: Global advertising giant, Hakuhodo Inc., based in Tokyo, Japan, has made a strategic acquisition that solidifies their presence in the rapidly burgeoning Indian market. The company has acquired a majority stake in India’s leading brand and entertainment agency group, MA&TH (Marching Ants & Trigger Happy) Entertainment Network Private Limited, headquartered in Mumbai and led by CEO Amit Chandrra.

MA&TH (Marching Ants & Trigger Happy) is India’s leading 360-degree brand & entertainment agency group mainly serving clients involved in content creation including film producers, studios, OTT platforms, broadcast companies, and international brands. MA&TH’s group companies include Marching Ants Advertising Pvt. Ltd. (“MA”), an independent brand agency founded in 2001, and Trigger Happy Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. (“TH”) founded in 2007.

Hakuhodo is a global leader in integrated marketing solutions and stands as the second-largest advertising agency in the world, as recognized by Ad Age’s Agency Report 2022. The company, which is the backbone of the Hakuhodo DY Group, has a powerful international presence with 150 offices across more than 20 countries, offering exceptional brand solutions to over 3,000 clients worldwide.

MA&TH has been involved in many collaborative projects with Hakuhodo Group’s martech digital agency AdGlobal 360 and activation agency PMG, both based in New Delhi, India. By welcoming MA&TH as a Group member, Hakuhodo aims to capture the growth of the Indian market and register their presence in Mumbai. Furthermore, they endeavor to continue to focus on the Indian advertising market and aim to improve their ability to solve problems for Japanese and global clients.

Amit Chandrra, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of MA&TH, said: “Over the years, we have always endeavored to be ahead of the curve and Hakuhodo’s global leadership will help propel us into the next level of our journey. Hakuhodo’s approach towards business, talent, and creativity was something that really fit into our vision for growth—both for our people and our clients. Our focus will be to further consolidate our leadership position in India as well as extend our brand solutions expertise in the Asia-Pacific region.”

Dhritish Ghoshal, Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of MA&TH, said: “We are delighted that MA&TH is now ready to step into an exciting phase of our growth by becoming a member of the Hakuhodo network. The access to Hakuhodo’s huge pool of resources and knowledge centers—both in India and overseas—will allow us to engage even more meaningfully with our clients and to provide world class services and solutions.”

Shuntaro Ito, Senior Corporate Officer, Hakuhodo, and President & CEO, Hakuhodo International, said: “With MA&TH joining the group, the Hakuhodo India Group will gain a presence in Mumbai, the capital of India’s advertising industry, and be able to provide more Indian clients with effective and wide-ranging marketing solutions based on Hakuhodo’s Sei-katsu-sha Insight philosophy. MA&TH, which provides unique services, will develop more comprehensive, seamless services by joining forces with AdGlobal360, which has strengths in marketing technology, and PMG, which has strengths in activation.

“Furthermore, I am confident that MA&TH will lead the growth of the Hakuhodo Group as a whole to the next level by collaborating with our offices beyond India, Japan, and Southeast Asia, especially in the entertainment business area.”

MA&TH is a leading entertainment marketing agency in India, known for delivering unparalleled results for its clients. MA brings expertise in strategic planning, key visual development, and activation, while TH boasts a world-renowned reputation for its imaginative audio-visual promotion, video production, and film marketing strategies. The agency has a proven track record of success, being involved in marketing activities for some of the most critically acclaimed movies and OTT shows produced in India. MA&TH has also garnered international recognition for its work, having won numerous advertising awards both in India and on the global stage, including the prestigious Cannes Lions Awards.

Since merging into a single group, and a single office of MA&TH in 2019, MA and TH have been working synergistically as a one-stop shop to provide a wide variety of services for the fast-growing entertainment industry in India, ranging from marketing strategy building to creative and content production, digital media and digital activation.