Hakuhodo enters PHL market via IdeasXMachina (IXM)

HAKUHODO Inc., Japan’s second largest advertising conglomerate, announced its acquisition of shares in IdeasXMachina Advertising, Inc. (IXM), an ad agency operating in the Philippines.

IXM is a young, up-and-comer creative engineering company with strengths in both above-the-line and cyber. It is organized around Third Domingo, the company’s founder and CEO, who started his career as a bemedalled copywriter and creative director.

Having won a great number of advertising awards in the Philippines in the film, design and effectiveness categories, the company is well-known inside and outside the ad industry despite its young, quirky team. They are the inventors of the highly talked about HR innovation called the “Love Life BenefitsTM.”

At the Agency of the Year Awards held by Asia’s premier advertising journal, Campaign Asia, IXM won Independent Agency of the Year three years in a row and is the reigning New Business Development Team of The Year.

Mr. Domingo himself was also selected as one of Campaign Asia’s “40 Under 40” in 2016, grabbing much attention as a young manager leading the team at IXM. Four other employees of IXM have been awarded “Women to Watch” and “Southeast Asia Young Achievers of The Year.”

With the addition of IXM as a new member, the Hakuhodo Group aims to strengthen its integrated marketing capabilities in a Philippines market where consistent high economic growth of 6–7% a year is expected, and provide high-quality services to both Japanese and local clients.

Mr. Domingo commented: “I am delighted to be a member of the Hakuhodo Group. Other networks and big name-brand agencies have shown interest in IXM before. But in Hakuhodo, I found the determined pursuit of ingenious work and the groundedness of strategy that are important to me. I also witnessed the genuine care that they have for their people and their humble, respectful handling of client business. I truly admire Hakuhodo’s view of the consumer not as a target only, but as an evolving human person with real-life wants and needs. This partnership will help further increase the value of Hakuhodo’s creative foothold without losing our cherished Filipino ethos. I plan to grow the business even more in the next two years and become the strongest office in Asia and the Pacific in the next five.

The Hakuhodo Group will continue to expand its marketing services network across Asia in order to provide sei-katsu-sha insight-based marketing knowledge to Japanese, local, and global companies in whatever country they operate.