Ad agency Javelin Group has bought fellow Dublin-based digital agency Brand Social, following several months of discussions between the two companies. Brand Social will slot into the digital marketing side of Javelin’s business.

Javelin's acquisition was completed in December last and Brand Social's staff have already relocated to Javelin Group offices in Smithfield, bringing the total employee headcount of the combined agency to 36.

Set up in 1986, Javelin Group was founded by Joe Dobbin, Conor Kennedy and Paul Myers, and counts Toyota, Davy Select, Arnotts and BT Ireland among its client base. Brand Social will be rebranded as Javelin Digital later this year.

Brand Social was established in 2009 and specialises in digital and social media marketing. Among its clients are Universal Pictures, the Digital Marketing Institute, GreenLetterbox.com and the Irish Management Institute.

Ken Stanley, managing director of Brand Social, says that his firm's acquisition by Javelin Group will make it “part of Ireland's largest independent full-service communications group”.

In Association with

Meanwhile, Joe Dobbin, chief executive of Javelin Group, says that channel-neutral thinking has defined the group since its inception. “It led us to start Ireland's first specialist direct marketing agency. The acquisition of enhanced digital capabilities underlines our commitment to this approach, and to offering group clients significant resources in every relevant area,” he adds.

Ken Stanley and Ray Doyle of Brand Social will continue in their roles as Managing Director and Creative Director respectively, with Javelin taking a controlling stake in the business.