WPP acquires remaining shares of three Colombian agencies

January 11, 2013 — Fusion DigiNet

wppWPP‘s wholly owned companies Grey, G2 Worldwide and MediaCom have acquired the outstanding shares in three leading agencies in Bogota, Colombia.

Grey, the global advertising agency network, has acquired the remaining shares in REP/Grey, one of Colombia’s best-regarded advertising agencies. G2 Worldwide, the digital and relationship marketing company, has acquired the remaining shares in REP/G2. MediaCom, the media investment management company that is part of GroupM, has acquired the remaining shares in Massive, a media agency in Colombia.

Other WPP companies active in Colombia (including affiliates) are JWT, Ogilvy, Young & Rubicam, Wunderman, OgilvyOne, Burson-Marsteller, Live, Energy, TNS, Kantar Worldpanel, Millward Brown and IBOPE. Collectively (including associates), the Group will have revenues of approximately US $110 million and will employ nearly 1,700 people in Colombia.

UK, London & Colombia, Bogota

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WPP’s GroupM acquires majority stake in PLAY Communication

January 3, 2013 — Fusion DigiNet

group m_0WPP‘s wholly owned operating company, GroupM, WPP’s global media investment management arm, has acquired a majority stake in PLAY Communication Pty Ltd, a leading experiential marketing agency based in Sydney, Australia.

Founded in 2002, PLAY offers activation, sponsorship, digital and branding services. The company employs around 23 people and clients include Optus, Volkswagen, Qantas, Coty, Tourism Queensland, Charles Darwin University, ASOS and others.

PLAY’s unaudited revenues for the financial year ended 30 June 2012 were approximately A$4.1 million, with gross assets at the same date of approximately A$2.8 million.

UK, London & Sydney, Australia

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WPP acquires stake in Globant

January 3, 2013 — Fusion DigiNet

wpp-globantWPP is to acquire a 20% stake in Globant S.A. Globant provides both technical expertise and design and creative capabilities in the development of software products that can be applied to digital marketing campaigns on a global scale.

Headquartered in Buenos Aires, Globant is a rapidly growing business employing 2,700 engineers, marketing specialists and designers in 21 offices across 14 cities in Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Colombia, the United States and the United Kingdom. The company’s approach is unique in that it provides clients with both the infrastructure and technical support that drive digital marketing campaigns, combined with the creative and design skills usually found alone in digital agencies.

Globant’s net revenues for the year ended 31 December 2011 were US$90 million and net revenues for the six months to 30 June 2012 were US$56.9 million with total assets of US$69 million as of 30 June 2012. WPP will invest approximately $70 million in acquiring the Globant stake.

“Increasingly, clients want better coordination between their IT departments and their marketing departments, between their Chief Information Officers (CIOs) and their Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs),” said WPP Chief Executive Sir Martin Sorrell. “There are many consulting companies or digital agencies that are expert in one function or the other. Few, if any, do both and even fewer can integrate deep technical and creative capabilities on a global scale as Globant does. Partnering with Globant will allow our companies to increasingly provide our clients with insights and skills that will make their digital marketing efforts even more effective and simpler to manage at both the front and back ends.”

Globant has deep experience in working in state of the art digital marketing spaces including, but not limited to, mobile, gamification, social networks, cloud computing, big data and e-commerce. Globant’s clients include American Express, JP Morgan Chase & Co., LinkedIn, Electronic Arts, Google, Coca-Cola, National Geographic, Zynga and Sabre Holdings, as well as a number of WPP companies, such as JWT, Young & Rubicam, Grey, GroupM and Kantar.

UK, London & Argentina, Buenos Aires

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Publicis Groupe acquires AR New York

December 10, 2012 — Fusion DigiNet

PublicisPublicis Groupe has acquired AR New York, a full-service advertising agency dedicated to the luxury goods, fashion and beauty industries. AR New York will become part of Publicis Worldwide, the Groupe’s historic advertising network. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

AR New York has helped to build a number of iconic global brands, including Asprey, Banana Republic, Brioni, Brooks Brothers, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, DFS, Dolce & Gabbana, Jimmy Choo, Moët & Chandon, Neiman Marcus, Salvatore Ferragamo, Smartwater, St. Regis Hotels & Resorts, Valentino, Versace, Vogue Magazine and Waldorf Astoria. The agency was founded in 1996 by Raul Martinez and Alex Gonzalez. Current CEO Dianne desRoches joined as a third partner in 2000. Their team comprises some 50 communications professionals based in Manhattan.

AR New York will retain its name within the Publicis Worldwide global network, and will continue to service its core luxury and fashion markets. Founding partner Raul Martinez (Chief Creative Officer) and Dianne desRoches (CEO) will remain at the head of the agency, and will report to Jean-Yves Naouri, Chief Operating Officer of Publicis Groupe and Executive Chairman of Publicis Worldwide.

“The luxury market is an advertising segment ripe with investment opportunity,” said Jean-Yves Naouri. “It is forecast to grow by up to 7% in 2012, defying global turmoil and breaking into new markets. We are especially pleased to welcome the AR New York teams to Publicis Worldwide. They are passionate about the powerful influence of contemporary arts, design and culture on consumers’ engagement with brands, and this vitality and focus is the drive behind the award-winning work they create for their clients.”

France, Paris & USA, New York, NY

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Publicis acquires iStrat and MarketGate in India

December 10, 2012 — Fusion DigiNet

PublicisPublicis Groupe has acquired two different agencies in India : iStrat, an integrated digital agencies, as well as MarketGate, a Mumbai-based strategic business and marketing consulting firm.

iStrat was founded in 2003 and provides solutions across all forms of digital marketing. The agency services a broad range of clients, including Alpha G:Corp (real estate), the Confederation of Indian Industries, Dupont (luxury accessories), Hero Corp (motorcycles), Hindware (kitchen and sanitary appliances), Maruti Suzuki, the NASSCOM software trade association, and Nestlé. The agency, which is headquartered in Delhi and employs a team of 50, provides the full range of digital communications services including e-commerce store fronts, search engine optimization, social media, and rich media.

MarketGate, which was founded in 2005, delivers services in business growth planning, marketing strategy, brand positioning, portfolio strategy, brand architecture development, and marketing skills development. The agency’s 7 consulting experts aim to rejuvenate brands and power their growth by deploying marketing processes throughout their clients’ organizations. Clients include Colgate, Dabur (foods/personal care), General Motors, GlaxoSmithKline, Godrej (personal care), HSBC, ICICI (financial services/banking), Madura Garments (fashion), Mahindra & Mahindra (automobile), MTR (foods), and Radio Mirchi Viacom.

As a part of this acquisition Publicis Groupe will also acquire MarketGate Dimensions, a subsidiary providing research-based solutions to business, marketing and brand issues, with offices in Mumbai, Delhi & Bangalore. Its client list includes Glenmark (personal care), Kellogg’s, Maruti Suzuki, The Walt Disney Company and Viacom 18.

iStrat will be rebranded Publicis iStrat and will operate as a unit within Publicis Modem, Publicis Worldwide’s global digital network. Its founders Navneet Singh Sahni (CEO) and Sonya Sahni (Head of Marketing) will continue to lead the agency. MarketGate will retain its name and will operate within Publicis Worldwide.  It will also continue to be led by founders Shripad Nadkarni (CEO) and Sharda Agarwal (Executive Director).  Both iStrat and MarketGate leadership will now report into Nakul Chopra, CEO South Asia for Publicis Worldwide.

“We’ve recently made a number of smart, bold moves in India, and we’re going to continue doing so,” declared Jean-Yves Naouri, Chief Operating Officer of Publicis Groupe and Executive Chairman of Publicis Worldwide, during a press conference held in Mumbai today. “Building digital capabilities is a fundamental part of the Publicis strategy, and today’s acquisition of iStrat and the strengthening of our digital arm in this promising market is a key step towards realizing our growth goals. In addition, MarketGate is a fast-moving strategic outfit with strong skill-sets, an impressive range of clients and thorough knowledge of the Indian market and its consumers,” he continued.

France , Paris & India, Delhi & India, Mumbai

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AOL’s Advertising.com Group Acquires Buysight, Inc.

December 10, 2012 — Fusion DigiNet

AOL’s Advertising.com Group has acquired Buysight, Inc., a provider of retargeting and intent-based targeted advertising. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The Advertising.com Group clients include

Based in Sunnyvale, California and founded in 2008, Buysight offers ad targeting and retargeting services to the likes of ADTECH, The AOL On Network, goviral and Pictela. The company was funded by ONSET Ventures and Rembrandt Venture Partners.

“Our acquisition of Buysight is the perfect complement to our powerful suite of offerings for advertisers, agencies and publishers seeking to maximize their brands online,” said Ned Brody, CEO, Advertising.com Group. “We strongly believe that both brand and performance display, as well as mobile and video campaigns benefit from dynamic, targeted creatives and messaging. The acquisition of Buysight brings proven Dynamic Creative Optimization and machine learning capabilities which will further enhance AdLearn, our market-leading optimization engine, and its ability to provide brands and performance marketers a comprehensive and integrated optimization solution across channels.”

USA, New York, NY & Sunnyvale, CA

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John Menzies acquires Orbital Marketing Services

November 29, 2012 — Fusion DigiNet

John Menzies plc subsidiary Menzies Distribution has acquired Orbital Marketing Services Group Limited for £13.6 million.  Orbital was 51% owned by BP Direct Mail Company Limited and 49% by Rydlings Limited, whose shareholders comprise the existing management team who will remain with the business.

Orbital comprises a portfolio of UK based logistics and marketing services businesses serving the travel, tourism, education, charity, publishing and healthcare sectors. The company was established in 1972 and it employs over 550 staff at 9 locations across the UK.

For the year to March 2012 Orbital reported an operating profit of £2.2m and gross assets of £13.5m.

Menzies are paying a total of £13.6 million with £7.7 million payable now and a further £5.9 million payable on 31 December 2014. Further consideration, up to a maximum of £6.3m may be payable only if exceptionally high levels of profit performance were to be achieved by December 2014.

Iain Napier, Chairman of John Menzies plc, said, “I am delighted that Menzies Distribution has acquired Orbital. This acquisition allows us to expand our printed media distribution footprint whilst also taking a large stride into adjacent growth areas. The team are now focussed on integrating these new businesses and driving through the significant synergies that have been identified. Orbital opens up new opportunities for us. The combined network will bring new reach to our logistical capabilities and allow us to expand some of Orbital’s services into new areas.”

UK, Edinburgh, Scotland & Asford, Kent

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Aegis Media acquires Netsociety

November 19, 2012 — Fusion DigiNet

Aegis Group plc has acquired Netsociety, a performance and search agency in the Netherlands and Belgium.

Netsociety, with offices in Amsterdam and Brussels, is a specialist performance marketing agency whose focus is on search marketing and digital performance media. Established in 2007, Netsociety has built a fast-growing business, with a diverse client base including Thomas Cook, ING, ABN AMRO and KLM.

The combination of Netsociety and iProspect will form a leading performance marketing agency in the Netherlands. Netsociety’s expertise and client base strengthens Aegis Media’s market position and is expected to generate the benefits of greater scale in the Netherlands and Belgium.

Julius Minnaar, CEO of Aegis Media Netherlands, said: “We are delighted to be acquiring Netsociety, which will enhance the prospects of our business in the Dutch and Belgian markets, ensuring we continue to produce outstanding work for our clients there. We welcome the Netsociety team into the fold and look forward to working with our new colleagues to leverage the exciting opportunities this acquisition will bring to our business in the Netherlands.”

UK, London & Netherlands, Amsterdam & Belgium, Brussels

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Essence Digital acquires Black Bag Advertising

September 18, 2012 — Fusion DigiNet

London and New york based digital agency Essence Digital has acquired San Francisco-based media agency Black Bag Advertising. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“Expansion in the U.S. is critical to our growth strategy and we expect this acquisition to be the first of a number,” said Matt Isaacs, Chief Executive Officer of Essence Digital. “The fit between Essence Digital and Black Bag Advertising is perfect; we share the same insight and innovation-driven approach to client work, as well as the same cultural ethos. We are excited about what our combined skills and experience will enable us to achieve in the future.”

Black Bag Advertising is an analytics and results driven media agency co-founded in 2004 by Eric Yang to provide media strategy, planning and buying, campaign management and analysis to clients in the automotive, banking, insurance, retail, and consumer packaged goods industries.

 USA, New York, NY & San Francisco, CA & UK, London
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GlobalWide Media completes $40M acquisition of Neverblue Media Company

September 7, 2012 — Fusion DigiNet

GlobalWide Media Inc. has closed its acquisition of Neverblue Media Company and AKMG.

Neverblue, based in Victoria, British Columbia with offices in Los Angeles, Europe and Asia, is a performance-based online marketing company with capabilities across all major media channels, including mobile, search, email, social media and display. AKMG is a performance based affiliate network comprised of premium publishers worldwide. While Neverblue will continue to operate under the Neverblue Media name, AKMG and its entire team will operate as GlobalWide Media going forward.

“We are delighted to formally welcome the Neverblue team, as their footprint into international markets together with their expertise and scale in mobile advertising complements our strengths in becoming the premier ‘One-stop’ solution for advertisers and publishers,” said Farshad Fardad, Chief Executive Officer of GlobalWide Media. “Our ultimate goal is to deliver highly targeted profitable customers to our advertisers while broadening the availability of additional branded campaigns to our publishing partners.”

USA, Westlake Village, CA & Canada, British Columbia, Victoria

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