Hakuhodo Inc.

Hakuhodo Inc. (株式会社博報堂, Kabushiki-gaisha Hakuhōdō) is a Japanese advertising and public relations company. It is headquartered at Akasaka Biz Tower in Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo. Hakuhodo is one of the oldest advertising agencies in Japan and was founded by Hironao Seki at Nihonbashi-Honshiroganecho, Tokyo, as an advertising space broker and wholesale distributor for educational magazines in October 1895. In October 2003 the company became part of the Hakuhodo DY Holdings after merging with other companies. Hakuhodo DY Holdings launched a unique media and entertainment company, Hakuhodo DY Media Partners Inc., in 2003. In February 2009, Hakuhodo announced a partnership with US global public relations firm Ketchum. Hakuhodo acquired the US-based companies SYPartners LLC and Red Peak Group LLC in May 2014, the US-based marketing company Digital Kitchen in June 2015, the Montreal-based creative agency Sid Lee in July 2015, and the Singapore-based agency Integrated Communications Group (ICG) in February 2017. The Japanese company purchased 30% of Palo Alto-based IDEO in February 2016.