On the heels of launching its integrated content division All Told in Asia, global communications firm Allison+Partners continues to widen its foothold in that region, officially establishing its Japan entry with the acquisition of Tokyo-based Focused Communications.
Financial terms of the acquisition were not made public.
Focused Communications specializes in technology, government, healthcare, public affairs, consumer marketing and corporate communications, and primarily serves B2B and B2C clients in technology, healthcare, consumer goods and government sectors. The Tokyo-based agency, which staffs 15 and was founded in 2000 by president and CEO Akemi Ichise and chairman Takashi Miura, had previously collaborated with Allison+Partners on a variety of client assignments.
Focused's roster of clients and employees will be integrated under the Allison+Partners banner. Ichise and Miura will remain at the agency and will continue to lead the office.
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Ichise was previously director of the communications services group at PRAP Japan Inc., which she joined in 1997 and led that company’s IT, healthcare and food practice groups. Prior to that she was a VP at Weber Shandwick Japan (then Shandwick Japan), which she joined in 1983 and led the agency’s IT team. She presently serves as board director at The Public Relations Society of Japan.
Miura previously led the communications services department at PRAP Japan, where he served as executive director. He was also executive VP of Weber Shandwick Worldwide imprint IPR-Shandwick, where he provided counsel for brands in the automobile, chemical, financial and healthcare industries.
Allison+Partners has displayed a marked interest in the Asia market in recent years. The agency in 2014 acquired China partner Century PR, establishing offices in Beijing and Shanghai, and set Singapore and Hong Kong outposts in the two years following. The agency claims its revenue in that region more than doubled in 2015 and now represents 10 percent of Allison+Partners’ overall revenue.
“Japan is the world's third largest economy and a core market for many of our clients," Allison+Partners co-founder and global COO Andy Hardie-Brown told O'Dwyer's. "The chemistry and culture of Focused dovetail with our own business philosophy and cultural touch points. With the transition process now complete, Japanese, regional and global clients will benefit from the increased resources available across Allison+Partners' worldwide network of offices.”
San Francisco-headquartered Allison+Partners now holds 22 worldwide, and revealed growth of more than 28 percent between 2013 and 2014, according to O’Dwyer’s rankings of PR firms.
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