Dentsu brings customer experience management agency Merkle to Hong Kong

Dentsu International is bringing its customer experience management (CXM) service line, Merkle, to Hong Kong. Merkle brings leading capabilities across data and analytics, CRM and loyalty, commerce, digital experiences, technology consulting, and CX transformation, tailored for the Hong Kong market and brands. 

Expanding into Hong Kong marks a significant step in Merkle’s global growth strategy, adding to its footprint in the APAC region. With extensive global expertise, top-tier strategic partnerships across Adobe, AWS, Google, and Salesforce, Merkle's goal is to transform customer experiences.

Establishing CXM capabilities using data, technology, and analytics to complement dentsu’s existing creative and media service lines, and providing marketers with seamless expertise across the full spectrum of communications services is a key imperative of dentsu International Hong Kong’s growth strategy.

Nathan Petralia (pictured) has been appointed as the general manager for Merkle & dentsu CXM Hong Kong, reporting to Simone Tam, CEO, dentsu International Hong Kong. Petralia brings over 15 years of experience in digital transformation, data, CRM, and omnichannel marketing. He joined Isobar Commerce in 2018 and has been instrumental in driving engagements for brands including Shiseido, I.T Apparels, Lululemon, Pandora, Lanvin, West Kowloon Cultural District, Microsoft, and more. Prior to Hong Kong, Petralia worked in Belgium and China, where he founded and managed a digital design and web studio for seven years.

“Digitisation has created a growing demand for expertise in data and technology. By expanding Merkle in Hong Kong, we can continue to advance our data and digital transformation capabilities while delivering best-in-class CXM solutions to meet the evolving needs of our clients.” Said Tam, “Petralia has an excellent track record in delivering growth for Isobar Commerce, and he brings unparalleled experience to establish Merkle/CXM as a market leader.”

"Merkle empowers brands to construct and leverage data to make their advertising and customer experiences more personal, impactful, and effective," said Petralia, "Working closely across the dentsu Creative and Media service lines, and with our global technology partnerships, I look forward to helping our customers reach a distinct competitive advantage with Merkle's services, solutions, and products. Merkle answers the need for a full-service, data-driven customer experience company in Hong Kong."

In September last year, Dentsu Aegis Network's Merkle has brought together five agencies to form Merkle B2B, to deliver B2B brand creation and activation on a global scale, making it easier for marketers to enable end-to-end business marketing solutions. The agencies are Merkle, Merkle | DWA, gyro, B2B International and Digital Pi. By combining the collective strength of these five brands, Merkle B2B said it possesses the knowledge, expertise, and vision to deliver world-class integrated customer experiences and become an indispensable growth partner to the world’s leading B2B brands.

The agency brings together over 1,000 artists, data scientists, media gurus, technologists, and innovators, who already serve more than one hundred B2B clients. It spans five continents and manages over US$16 billion in global billings. Merkle B2B will serve as the global center of excellence for DAN’s B2B practice. According to the press statement, B2B represents a large (US$120 billion) and rapidly growing (25% YOY) sector.