Ad Giant Denstu Aegis Acquires ‘Branded’, The Live Events Firm Behind YouTube FanFest

Branded, a leading events producer in the Asia Pacific region that serves as YouTube’s global partner on its FanFest initiative — which gathers top creators for live performance and meet-and-greet festivals globally — has been acquired by Dentsu Aegis Network, the London-based digital subsidiary of the Japanese ad giant.

Following the acquisition, Branded — which also produces the Asian entertainment industry conference All That Matters, as well as It’s A Girl Thing, an event designed to inspire young women — will be folded into MKTG, Dentsu’s lifestyle marketing division dedicated to experiential, digital, and social media. And this isn’t Dentsu’s first pick-up in the digital media space: last June, it acquired a majority stake in Gleam Futures, a seminal digital talent management first based in London.

Founded in 2002 and headquartered in Singapore and Hong Kong, Branded conceptualizes, programs, organizes, and produces live events — including conferences, music festivals, educational academies, and fan fests — that seek to convene businesses, brands, celebrities, and fans.

Alongside co-producer YouTube, Branded has hosted FanFest events in Canada, Saudi Arabia, and even stateside at Howard University as part of its #YouTubeBlack initiative to support creators of color. The events give fans the opportunity to interface with YouTube’s biggest stars, including Lilly Singh, Omar Hussain, and Tre Melvin. The most recent FanFest gathering was held last Saturday in the Indonesian city of Yogyakarta.

Branded co-founder and CEO Jasper Donat will remain in his CEO post following the acquisition, and he will report to MKTG Asia Pacific CEO Sean O’Brien. “Brands are demanding more powerful and creative live opportunities to meet their consumers face to face,” Donat said in a statement, “Integrating with MKTG gives Branded access to an immense client network and a genuine opportunity to expand and realize our global ambition.”