Gothenburg, Herentals, 26 April 2021 – Stendahls is joining full-service agency iO. The Belgian company with 1.500 team members has grown strongly in the past years in the Benelux. With this acquisition it makes its first move in the the Nordics. For Stendahls this means fast forward for their future plans. It broadens and deepens the end-to-end capabilities within strategy, creative and tech, which is good news for the team and their clients.
This reinforcement emphasises the project of iO building an integrated full-service agency on a pan-European level. iO aims to be a true partner for its clients, allowing them to excel in the areas of strategy, creation, content, marketing and technology.
Stendahls is the ideal partner and step-stone to the Nordics
The 120 team members of Stendahls have the right skills and the right mentality for a running start of iO in the Nordics. Just like iO Stendahls focuses on guiding clients through their digital challenges, from strategy, creation, implementation and all the way to the consumer.
Stendahls is known for its holistic approach to brand communication, with a wide and deep knowledge and experience available Stendahls continuously create value for regional and international clients.
In the past years there is a trend that companies are more and more looking for an agency that can take end-to-end responsibility. Or even more important: end-to-end impact throughout the entire customer experience. By joining forces with iO Stendahls will accelerate this process in the Nordics.
Full force on integrated approach across media, markets and boundaries
Henrik Segergren, CEO Stendahls: “To be honest, it was actually quite creepy how our vision on marketing, communication and technology seemed a blueprint of the project that iO is building.
We believe we need to be more client-focused and more client-driven than ever before. Most agencies seem to define their advice and deliveries based on their available resources, not on what the client really needs. Just like iO, we don’t want to be that type of agency.
The cultural fit with iO is 100% and in our ambition to grow the time was right to come together. We put our clients’ brands at the forefront across media, markets and boundaries in a constantly evolving and more digital world.”
The Nordics ideal second region for growth ambitions
Pieter Janssens, CEO iO: “From the first moment we met, we knew that Stendahls would be a great fit for our company. The team, their expertise and their mindset, we knew that this was the first step we had to take outside of Belgium and the Netherlands.
Next to that our choice for the Nordics and more in particular Sweden was also rather logical: in every research on digital adoption you will find Sweden as a front runner. The use of social media, e-commerce or digital banking and financial apps: Sweden is always in front of the peloton.
Stendahls is a well thought-out choice that will allow us to grow and to take next steps in the region. Not only for the talented people that are out there, but also for clients that are looking for a full-service agency that is truly client-focused.”
About iO
iO is an innovative digital services group in the Benelux and the Nordics, combining in-depth expertise in strategy, technology, marketing, content and creation. Over 1.500 specialists work in these fields, at 10 different locations in Belgium, Netherlands and now Sweden. Our leitmotiv is bringing together talent and searching for solutions with an extreme focus on the customer.
iO was founded in 2005 and contributes to the business of national and international clients such as Brussels Airport, MediaMarkt, Proximus, McDonalds, Akzo Nobel, PostNL and Canon.
Published 14. March 2022