KUALA LUMPUR: Ayudante, the Japan-based leading digital marketing and digital measurement consulting agency dedicated to helping clients use data to drive business in the digital age, today announces its acquisition of Sparkline, a Singapore-based independent digital marketing business and pioneering Certified Partner and Reseller of Google Marketing Platform (GMP), making Sparkline a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ayudante. Sparkline has the sales rights for Google Marketing Platform and has a strong business in Malaysia.
This acquisition marks a significant regional milestone, showcasing a successful example of a regional acquisition by a Japanese company and bolstering confidence in the ability of regional companies to exit to international buyers. Sparkline, one of the first Google Marketing Platform Certified Partners and Resellers in Asia, has established a reputation for its industry-leading expertise in data utilization consulting. Ayudante, the first Japanese Google Marketing Platform Certified Partner and Reseller, has been expanding its international team to support the global business expansion of its Japanese clients.
The acquisition of Sparkline by Ayudante underscores the increasing interest of multinational companies in Southeast Asia’s dynamic tech ecosystems. With Malaysia being a critical market in this region, businesses can now access Ayudante’s certified services of Google Marketing Platform. This is in line with the growing demand for data analytics and digital marketing solutions in Malaysia, driven by the government’s emphasis on digital transformation and the adoption of advanced technologies across various sectors.
Hiroshi Yasukawa, CEO of Ayudante, said: “I am pleased to be partnered with Sparkline, which has the longest history in our business field in Singapore. Together, we aim to become the top GMP reseller in the Asia Pacific region.”
Aleetza Senn, CEO and founder of Sparkline, said: “Sparkline has always been about providing bespoke and agnostic analytics services to businesses using digital data for customer and marketing growth. This alignment with Ayudante is really exciting and helps us scale that vision to many more businesses in the region, especially at a time when the industry is being disrupted due to privacy regulations and change.”
Besides the Google Marketing Platform business, the collaboration will also focus on SEO across multiple languages and digital marketing. The companies’ developers will work together to enhance data development, automation related to tags, and digital marketing services in the era of GenAI. This strategic move is timely for Malaysia, where businesses are increasingly relying on sophisticated data analytics and automation to stay competitive.
The names of the respective companies will not change, and the conditions of the acquisition have not been publicly disclosed.
Following the acquisition, Naohiro Yamaura, COO of Ayudante, will assume the position of Chairman of the Board at Sparkline under the new management structure. He is one of the most successful figures in the Google Marketing Platform business in Japan, having authored eight books and leading the industry. Moving forward, Yamaura will collaborate with CEO Aleetza to accelerate Sparkline’s growth in the Malaysia market.
