YAAP, a specialized content and influencer marketing company with operations in the UAE, India, and Singapore, has fully acquired Crayons Communications, a well-known advertising agency with offices in Dubai, Riyadh, and Manama. The 100% acquisition will see Crayons Communications merge with YAAP.

“YAAP has been actively looking to expand its presence in the UAE in particular and the GCC region as a whole. The Crayons Communications acquisition comes at the right time and gives us a great platform to bring our award-winning services in Influencer Marketing & Performance Media to this part of the world. Crayons has a good foundation of established clients that will help us quickly ramp up our service offerings here. We want to be a dominant player in IM, Web 3.0 (with a focus on building for the Metaverse), and media services. Going forward, as the markets correct globally, it presents us a great opportunity for more such acquisitions in this region,” said Atul Hegde, Founder of YAAP.

For its part, Crayons Communications boasts over 14 years of market presence in the Middle East, over 250 successful projects, and about 150 clients to date. From homegrown giants such as the Apparel Group and Kaya to MNCs such as Fitbit, Crayons Communications’ portfolio characterizes a rare balance of global-local clients and expertise developed by virtue of longevity.

Commenting on how the deal transpired, Kunal Lalani, Founder & Chairman of Crayons Communications Group, said, “While we have been working together on projects before, this acquisition seals our relationship formally with YAAP in this part of the world. I’m confident with YAAP coming in, it will create more opportunities for our people in terms of their own career growth and all our clients will benefit from a wide array of new services that will get launched here. I wish the entire team all the very best at the start of this  exciting new phase.”

Following a growth of 97% and a jump in profitability in FY21-22, YAAP has been actively scouting strategic acquisitions in the digital content and media landscape across GCC. Crayons Communications adds key markets to YAAP’s existing footprint across three countries and seven cities. YAAP is currently developing solutions suites pertaining to Web 3.0 and the Metaverse.

“I’m super excited to be part of the YAAP group now. With an added network of 7 cities and 100+ digital experts at YAAP, it opens up a whole new world of offerings for us in this region. We are known for always punching above our weight in the past with mega projects like the Chris Hemsworth film for Bayut, the Dubai super sixes property, or The Bayut: your home, your choice awards, now our ambitions and goals will be much larger ! ” added Arshad Zaheer, CEO of Crayons Communications.