iO
The road from Intracto to iO
As Intracto was rapidly gaining traction in the Belgian marketing world, we recognised the potential of this agency and its ambitious entrepreneur, Pieter Janssens. He was aiming to become a well-rounded, comprehensive partner in marketing – offering a one-stop-shop solution for businesses. Given the opportunities in the market, we decided to accelerate Intracto’s growth and help Pieter turn his ambition into reality. In 2018, we began our buy-and-build journey together to transform Intracto into iO, a full-service marketing agency.
An investment theme filled with opportunity
Due to the increasing complexity of consumers’ demands, outsourcing and digitalisation are vital in helping companies focus on what truly matters: offering their customers the best possible service and experience. The growing need for outsourcing and digitalisation has created industries filled with opportunities — the marketing sector being no exception.
That is why Pieter Janssens, CEO of Intracto, recognised that there was both room and demand in the market for a marketing agency that could do it all — a one-stop shop for all things marketing. This full-service agency of the future enables companies to outsource their marketing endeavours and step into the digital world with ease. Our teams at Waterland supported Intracto’s transformation with their extensive industry and investment experience — truly, a match made in heaven.
In Waterland, we have found a powerful financial and entrepreneurial partner that helps us realise our ambitions through accelerated growth.
Buy-and-build strategy
Our approach always respects the values and vision of the companies we work with. That is why we aligned our intentions and ambitions before embarking on this journey. To offer every possible digital service under one roof, we needed to find the right opportunities and connect Intracto with the right agencies. Only then would every field of expertise be well represented. Only then would the company culture remain healthy and strong.
Agencies were selected for their vision, culture, and values – we always strive for the perfect match. We were able to acquire a new agency each month — twenty-seven in total. Not because we wanted Intracto to grow in size, but because we wanted it to grow in strength. Selecting the right people was a vital part of that. Organic growth — only faster.
But the journey did not end there. We faced the challenging task of uniting all those teams to create one agency and one family. That is how iO was born.
A team at your disposal
A Waterland investment is never a coincidence. It is a well-considered, rational decision made only after gaining a thorough understanding of a company and its industry. When we decide to invest, we assemble a strong team that knows the sector inside out. That team is always available to support entrepreneurs and leadership teams such as Pieter and his management team.
We care deeply about our entrepreneurs and about turning their ambitions into reality. That is why we are always available to guide, challenge, advise, share our analyses, and act as a sounding board in general. In this case, our approach made the complex challenge of merging just under thirty international agencies — comprising around 1,500 experts — a complete success.
The result so far
Intracto has become iO — twelve innovative campuses across the Benelux, Bulgaria, and the Nordics. It does exactly what Pieter intended it to do: offer an end-to-end solution across marketing, technology, content and creation, and strategy. Moreover, it has become a perfect environment for talent to thrive and grow.
The agency now supports its clients from A to Z, having worked with leading companies such as Proximus, Brussels Airport, Johnson & Johnson, and Audi. The feedback from clients speaks for itself: iO is a true partner, helping its clients achieve marketing success.
Today, iO is a market leader in both Belgium and the Netherlands.