Dive Brief:

• Merkle, a customer relationship management specialist, has acquired digital and direct marketing shop New Control. 
• The 90 employees at the New Control shop will become part of Merkle's digital agency group, bringing the group's headcount to 400 and Merkle's total employees to 2,100. 
• The deal is explained by New Control President David Braun as a way to fill in gaps where the shop is weaker, like technology, analytics, digital media, mobile, and social. 

Dive Insight: 

New Control seems like it will be a perfect addition to Merkle's digital agency group. Both companies service customers in the financial and insurance industries, so the transition should be a smooth one. Because of the similarities in focus, the acquisition was likely mostly a talent rather than a service buy.