Aegis has acquired an effective 25% interest in The Filter Group for an initial consideration of £300,000. The company, which has offices in Singapore, Hong Kong and Bangkok, specialises in youth marketing, and its consumer database and proprietary tools have attracted clients such as Coca-Cola, Levi's, MTV, Ericsson, Hard Rock Cafe and Ministry of Sound.
Aegis shares were up in early afternoon trading, rising 0.53% to 94.5p. Aegis said it may pay an additional consideration of 109,178 Aegis shares in January 2005 and has, as part of the deal, options to acquire the remaining 75% share capital of the firm based on performance criteria.
Doug Flynn, chief executive of Aegis, said: "This acquisition extends our capability into the specialist area of youth marketing. It's a skill set that is much in demand by marketers who want to understand how to connect with the new generation of urban consumers. I am confident that this capability will be much in demand by our international clients."
The Filter Group was founded in 2000 by Ian Stewart, who has held various research positions at Coca-Cola, MTV and Ogilvy & Mather.
Earlier this month, Aegis strengthened its growing market research division with the £3.7m acquisition of European market research group Market&More.
In January, it bought Chusen Media in Japan, which will become part of the Carat media-buying network, and two US interactive agencies, Lot 21 and Vizium, which become part of the Carat Interactive business.
Last year, Aegis acquired four European market research firms, including Pegram Walters and MEMRB Custom Research.
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