We’re delighted to announce our investment in Croud, the global full-service digital marketing company. This investment sees ECI take a majority stake in the business, enabling Croud’s leadership team to continue scaling as a global leader in digital-first, tech-enabled marketing over the next five years.
Following a highly competitive selection process, ECI was chosen as the ideal partner for Croud’s next stage of growth, with a clear alignment of ambitions and values and a successful track record in media, data and technology investments including MiQ, Investis Digital, Imagesound and Clarity Blue.
In partnership with ECI, Croud is set to expand the business through further acquisitions and organic growth. The investment will enable Croud to retain its leadership in media, data and creative services benefiting current clients, such as Amazon Prime, Aston Martin, Coach, Nespresso and the VF Group (including Timberland), who will continue to access the most competitive marketing capabilities.
The transaction marks an exit for LDC, following a successful five-year partnership with its threefold growth attributed to:
- A disruptive operating model conceived at Croud’s inception. This includes the Croudie Network, a global marketplace of 2,900 digital marketing domain experts. They deliver, alongside Croud’s in-house digital marketing specialists, cost-efficient resourcing and flexibility. Enabled by Croud Control, a proprietary tech platform delivering AI-powered planning, workflows, automation and execution of digital marketing campaigns.
- Geographical expansion with Croud’s rapid growth in the US market under the leadership of Kris Tait, US MD and Dean Gardner US COO, driven by major account wins including Nespresso, and the recent Vert Digital acquisition (Atlanta-based digital media agency) growing Croud’s US footprint.
- Portfolio breadth, with the acquisition of Born Social and its strong leadership under Ben Tyson, CEO, and Charlotte Hamill, COO. The award-winning social-first creative agency has gone on to win prestigious clients such as Barclays and Ford, as well as expanding its Diageo relationship with Smirnoff in the US and achieved a 45% CAGR since its acquisition.
- Acquisition and successful integration of acquired media, data and technology companies, such as Impakt Advisors (data advisory) and Metageni (a leading attribution services and platform provider) to accelerate the growth of Croud’s marketing technology business.
Core to delivering this strategy has been the experienced leadership of the business. Last year the company appointed Avinash Kaushik, the Google Senior Executive, as Global Chief Strategy Officer and Board Director. More recently the company appointed Rick Stallings as its first Global Chief Data Officer, and Dani Jordan as its first Chief Marketing & Integration Officer.
