Brunner Acquires Rakuten Advertising’s Performance Solutions Business

PITTSBURGH & ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Brunner, a leading independent, integrated marketing agency, announced today its acquisition of Rakuten Advertising’s Performance Solutions group, which includes its paid search and programmatic planning and buying teams. This strategic move aims to enhance Brunner’s vision for growth and innovation, strengthening the agency’s already robust media capabilities and unlocking greater opportunities to serve clients at scale.

“We are thrilled to welcome the talented team from Rakuten Advertising’s Performance Solutions group to Brunner,” said Dan Gbur, Partner and Chief Revenue Officer at Brunner. “With this acquisition, we will immediately begin integrating their expertise with our existing capabilities, so we are poised to deliver even greater value to our clients.”

The Performance Solutions group, renowned for its success in performance marketing, brings deep expertise in the retail and e-commerce industries, as well as a loyal customer base. Its addition to Brunner bolsters its team, expanding both size and scale and adding to the already strong digital media, data engineering, and data science capabilities. The acquisition also opens the door to a long-standing partnership with Rakuten. Brunner will be the performance solutions partner for Rakuten, continuing to provide digital media services to its clients, and Brunner can extend affiliate marketing opportunities to clients through Rakuten’s platform.

Throughout its 40-year history, Brunner has continuously reinvented its capabilities to meet the ever-changing marketing landscape and evolving client needs. Its fiercely independent and entrepreneurial partners are veterans of successful acquisitions, focused on scaling client support to drive business impact and ensuring the strength of its people-first culture. Rakuten Advertising’s Performance Solutions group shares these values and operates under a similar philosophy.

“When we met with Brunner, we knew immediately this was the right fit,” said Karen Chu, Vice President of Corporate Development at Rakuten Advertising. “Culturally, our Performance Solutions group and existing clients would have a smooth transition, which was our number one priority. We knew we would expand opportunities to support our affiliate clients with a broader range of services. Our ongoing relationship with Brunner will allow us to leverage their extensive resources and industry knowledge, ultimately benefiting our clients with enhanced marketing strategies and execution.”

The integration of Rakuten Advertising’s Performance Solutions group into Brunner’s operations will be seamless, ensuring continuity for existing clients while expanding the range of services available. Brunner looks forward to continuing to deliver exceptional value to our clients while driving a new era of success.

ABOUT BRUNNER

Brunner is a leading independent, integrated marketing agency that is proud to have Good People Creating Great Work for Our Clients. Brunner simplifies the complexities of marketing by leveraging data insights to develop creative solutions for clients’ marketing challenges. Brunner’s broad client portfolio includes notable national brands like Aerie, Church’s Texas Chicken, Great Southern Wood Preserving, Mitsubishi North America, The Home Depot Rental, and WesBanco Bank. Brunner is headquartered in Pittsburgh with additional offices in Atlanta. For more information, please visit www.brunnerworks.com.

ABOUT RAKUTEN

Rakuten Advertising delivers performance-driven, brand-driven, and people-driven ad solutions that help the world’s top brands connect with unique, highly engaged audiences — from first impression to final sale. Backed by industry-leading technology, global media properties, and the largest high-quality partner network, Rakuten Advertising taps into decades of data and experience to develop the strategies and ad experiences that will drive engagement, sales, loyalty, and beyond. A leader in the industry since its beginnings, Rakuten Advertising is a division of Rakuten Group, Inc. (4755: TOKYO), one of the world’s leading internet service companies. The company is headquartered in San Mateo, California, with offices throughout EMEA, APAC, LATAM, and North America. Learn more at RakutenAdvertising.com.