SINGAPORE – 8 January 2020 – AnyMind Group, a technology provider for the advertising, influencer marketing and human resource industries, has today announced a strategic agreement with Japanese media company, Space Shower Network Inc. (TSE: 4838, hereinafter Space Shower Network). As part of the agreement, AnyMind Group will acquire 91,600 shares (at 51% ownership) of GROVE Inc. (hereinafter GROVE), a Japan-based influencer network owned by Space Shower Network. This is AnyMind Group’s fourth acquisition globally, and second acquisition in Japan.
The acquisition will see 150 exclusive creators and 750 registered creators join the CastingAsia Creators Network, an influencer network that provides resources and support to influencers and content creators across Asia, from planning and content production to the optimization and monitoring of channels. Marketers will be able to tap on this extended influencer base through the CastingAsia platform, an influencer marketing tool for marketers to discover influencers, activate and manage campaigns, and track influencer marketing activity.
At the same time, Space Shower Network will be able to tap on AnyMind Group’s various brands including AdAsia and CastingAsia, to add on capabilities in digital advertising and in the entertainment domain, particularly in music, through CastingAsia’s network of music influencers in Southeast Asia.
On the acquisition, Kosuke Sogo, CEO and co-founder of AnyMind Group, said: “The GROVE acquisition will enable us to provide resources and support GROVE’s influencers to expand their follower base globally and bring more collaboration opportunities from overseas markets. Marketers globally will also be able to tap into more influencer marketing opportunities in Japan for 2020 and beyond through our now vast influencer network. We will look to create even more synergy between marketers and influencers and look for more ways to expand the influencer marketing domain, including opportunities in e-commerce.”
In addition to GROVE’s network of creators gained through this acquisition, CastingAsia will also continue to explore new ways to evolve the state of influencer marketing and diversify how influencers and content creators can express themselves – where influencers will not be just independent mediums, but also be constantly expanding their talent and potential as a brand. For this to happen, CastingAsia will look to help influencers and content creators in creating and launching their own brands and branded materials, with the objective of global expansion and distribution.
GROVE joins AnyMind Group’s various brands for influencer marketing including CastingAsia, the influencer marketing platform and solutions provider, Moindy, a Thai influencer network that was acquired by AnyMind Group in March 2019, AnyUp, a joint venture between AnyMind Group and Japanese PR agency Sunny Side Up with a focus on influencer marketing in Japan, and the recently launched AnyStyle.Tokyo, an influencer network of expatriates and overseas influencers who are producing content about Japan.
