Talon Outdoor, the UK-headquartered out of home (OOH) media specialist has acquired Kinetic Ireland for an undisclosed sum.
Talon is acquiring Poster Plan Ltd which trades as Kinetic. The company was founded in 1990 by Simon Durham and Carol Hogan and has offices in Dublin and Belfast. The acquisition of Kinetic follows the recent appointment of Andrew Sinclair as managing director. Sinclair will continue to lead the business along with Aoife Hudson as deputy managing director. Both Simon Durham and Carol Hogan will remain with the business.
“Today marks an exciting new chapter in our OOH journey and we are delighted to have completed the sale of the business to the Talon Group,” says Simon Durham. “Having been Talon’s exclusive partner in Ireland for some time, we have first-hand experience of their dynamism, forward-thinking and overall ambitions for showcasing the power of OOH. Arriving at this point wouldn’t have been possible without the unwavering support of WPP/GroupM and their clients, and I would like to personally thank them for all their support in making this deal possible. We look forward to continuing that close working relationship with all Group M agencies and their clients,” he says.
Talon’s Global CEO Barry Cupples adds “Having worked closely with Poster Plan for a number of years to deliver OOH campaigns for Talon’s clients in Ireland, this strategic acquisition was a natural next step. We are excited about the prospects for supporting the continued opportunity to drive the renaissance of OOH, by adding Talon’s service and solutions culture to Poster Plan’s deep customer relationships and strong reputation. We are delighted to be partnering with GroupM in a new long-term relationship to support their clients and teams in delivering better outcomes.”
For its part, Talon Outdoor is a leading global independent OOH media specialist and technology services company and is headquartered in London with additional offices in Manchester while its affiliate, Talon America is headquartered in New York City. The company was founded in 2013 by Eric Newnham, Frank Bryant and James Copley. It now employs over 150 people and its Plexus OOH network operates in 75 different markets around the world.
Kinetic has been the exclusive provider of OOH planning and buying services to GroupM’s Irish agencies Mindshare, MediaCom and Wavemaker, an arrangement which will continue post-acquisition. “Talon entering the Irish market represents an important and progressive step as they bring their experience and expertise to bear here. GroupM is looking forward to continuing the excellent relationship that we have had with Poster Plan for over 20 years, and to building on this with Talon going forward,” says Bill Kinlay, CEO GroupM.
