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Dentsu buys 95% stake in Swedish analytics co Outfox Intelligence
MUMBAI: Dentsu, Inc. has announced that its global business headquarters Dentsu Aegis Network has reached an agreement to acquire a 95 per cent stake in Outfox Intelligence AB, an analytics and conversion optimization company in Sweden. The agreement also gives the Dentsu Group the option to make Outfox a wholly-owned subsidiary.
Established in 2010 in Stockholm, Sweden, Outfox comprises 14 top class consultants, including its two founders, and has steadily improved business performance since its establishment. In addition to being authorized as a Google Analytics Certified partner and a leading sales and service partner for Google Analytics 360 Suite1, Outfox is also a certified partner of Optimizely, earning a strong reputation as the largest corporate authorized reseller in the Nordic region.
Following the acquisition, Outfox will be integrated into iProspect, one of the Dentsu Group’s global network brands2 with strengths in the digital performance domain. With this new acquisition the Dentsu Group will deepen the collaborative relationship with Amnet, which provides trading desk services delivering more timely digital advertising to more accurate targets, heightening the synergy effects within the Group in the Nordic region.
The impact of this transaction on Dentsu’s consolidated financial results for the fiscal year ending 31 December, 2017 is expected to be minimal.
1. Google Analytics 360 Suite is a comprehensive service providing data collection and analysis, decision-making and actions that can be utilised through a Google Analytics 360 certified reseller or by directly contracting with Google. All certified resellers meet stringent requirements, providing the same services as when used directly from Google. In Japan, seven companies, including Dentsu Digital, are authorised resellers.
2. Dentsu Aegis Networkm the Dentsu Group’s global business headquarters based in London, is expanding the Group’s business worldwide through ten global network brands–Carat, Dentsu (Dentsu Brand Agencies), Dentsu media, iProspect, Isobar, mcgarrybowen, Merkle, MKTG, Posterscope and Vizeum–as well as through several specialist/multi-market brands.
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Star Sports under fire for ‘cringe’ India–SA Super 8 promo
Broadcaster accused of arrogance and disrespect as fans slam Super 8 promotion
AHMEDABAD: Star Sports is facing a wave of criticism after its latest promotional campaign for the India–South Africa T20 World Cup Super 8 match triggered a fierce social media backlash, quickly dubbed “Cupcakegate”.
The advertisement, released this week, hinges on a cupcake metaphor that many viewers have condemned as patronising and disrespectful. In the clip, an Indian supporter mockingly offers a pink cupcake to a South African fan, a visual jibe widely interpreted as portraying the Proteas as a soft, easily beaten opponent.
The backlash has been swift across platforms such as X and Reddit, with fans and commentators accusing the broadcaster of tone-deaf bravado at a crucial stage of the tournament. The criticism is sharpened by the context: both India and South Africa arrive in the Super 8s unbeaten, undermining any suggestion of a one-sided contest.
Online, the cupcake symbol has been read as carrying multiple barbs. Some users argue it alludes to South African president Cyril Ramaphosa’s domestic nickname, while others see it as recycling the long-running “chokers” trope associated with South Africa in ICC tournaments. The casting choice has also drawn scrutiny, with viewers noting the physical disparity between the actors playing the two fans, which critics described as a cheap attempt to belittle the opposition.
Even Indian supporters have joined the pile-on. Many warned that such chest-thumping marketing risks “jinxing” the team, pointing to past tournaments where aggressive campaigns preceded unexpected defeats.
Star Sports is no stranger to rivalry-led advertising, having struck gold with its earlier “Mauka Mauka” series. But analysts say the cupcake campaign misreads a fanbase that has grown less tolerant of overtly mocking narratives and more attuned to sporting parity and respect.
India and South Africa meet on Sunday, 22 February, at the 132,000-seat Narendra Modi Stadium. With South Africa securing their Super 8 berth through a commanding win over the UAE, the fixture is widely billed as a heavyweight clash, not the walkover the ad appears to suggest.
