Industry Update: Native Touch acquires Candy Banners
Mobile advertising technology leader reinforces position in Canadian digital marketing industry
I am pleased to announce that Native Touch, the company I have founded in Montreal in 2010, has acquired Toronto creative studio Candy Banners. Candy Banners will retain its unique brand and culture and will continue to operate as a distinct company with dedicated management in place. I feel the transaction will reinforce both companies and position the new collective as one of Canada’s leading advertising groups and a partner of choice for brands and ad agencies across the country. We have been committed to our creative practice since day one and this acquisition further reenforces that commitment.
Let’s be clear: we are not just doubling our number of employees. We are literally doubling down on the creative expertise of the business.
This recent acquisition embodies Native Touch’s ambition to maintain our position as a thought leader in the complex ecosystem of mobile advertising technology. Our firm has been providing national agencies and major brands with trail-brazing independent expertise in this field for the last ten years. Over that decade, Montreal-born Native Touch has served major national clients across several advertiser verticals while Candy Banners has a deep pedigree in partnering with brands and creative agencies of all sizes. Both companies will keep on independently managing their current client rosters and maintain existing pricing under the new corporate structure.
For our existing clients, it’s like having the best of both worlds. They will benefit from outstanding design for mobile and web banners while enjoying cutting-edge mobile technology in one boutique firm. We were always impressed by Candy Banners’ capacity to take on complex projects and by their strong operational excellence. We will now be able to go further and to combine forces in pitches. Our total workforce should increase by 20% in 2021 and the companies will have physical presences in Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver.
Over the years we have received several awards for our work and we are particularly proud of our ability to combine rich mobile creative and data driven targeting on foot traffic as demonstrated in this case study.
Recent advances in artificial intelligence, surges in e-commerce sales and expected rebirth of in-store shopping after the pandemic make mobile advertising technology more pertinent than ever, with a craving in the industry for innovative technology and even more spectacular creative work. The joining of forces of Candy Banners and Native Touch will consolidate this high-end expertise in the market and provide North American brands and agencies with an even more outstanding user-experience for their clients and users.
About Native Touch
Native Touch is comprised of passionate technology and advertising experts who pride themselves in doing things others can’t. Native Touch believes in the limitless opportunities of mobile advertising and uses the power of customization, education and ongoing market research to help clients and partners navigate the rapidly growing and increasingly complex ecosystem. The firm operates out of Montreal, Ottawa, Vancouver and Toronto.
About the author
Saad Uddin is an Internet entrepreneur with a wide experience ranging from digital marketing to application development and a deep understanding of analytics. He has developed a special ability to leverage a variety of different metrics to meet specific goals on the web, particularly in regard with mobile technology. Saad has founded Native Touch in Montreal in 2010 and the company has enjoyed steady growth since then with offices in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa and Vancouver. Saad is also very active in mentorship, consulting and investing in technology with a particular interest for startups.