The influence of market and product knowledge resource embeddedness on the international mergers of advertising agencies: The case-study approach

The acquisition of Taiwanese advertising companies by large multinational advertising syndicates stands out as unique compared to those in other industries. The strategic thinking involved in such acquisitions is worth a deep analysis. This study focuses on the merger of two Taiwanese and Japanese advertising agencies from the network embeddedness point of view. Using the case-study method, this paper probes into the motivations and strategy evolutions of the said mergers. The following findings were made: “product knowledge” and “market knowledge” are important resources on which advertisers and advertising agencies share mutual dependency in a given market. As products are marketed and experience growth, advertising agents and advertisers enter into a long-term cooperation relationship and resource embeddedness. When advertising agencies follow their advertisers into a foreign market, and thus also leading to bundled investments, the globalization strategies of the former become a consequence. Advertisers’ need to understand the local competitive resources (i.e. market knowledge) leads to symmetrical resource complementarities with their advertising agencies in the multinational market. In the course of a merger dictated by common market knowledge needs, advertising agencies, enjoying an upper hand in resources, often have a greater dominance in the merger and acquisition process.