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Tag: Publicis Groupe

  • Eureka Forbes appoints Digitas as digital AoR

    MUMBAI: Eureka Forbes Limited has awarded its digital strategies and social media mandate to Digitas India of the Publicis Groupe.

    Digitas will be responsible for an integrated and end-to-end solution to strengthen engagement with customers across digital platforms like electronic customer relationship marketing (e-CRM), e-commerce, online relationship management (ORM) and social media. E-commerce will play an important role in the company‘s digital strategy as Eureka Forbes is strengthening its presence not only in direct sales but also retail and B2B space as well.

    Eureka Forbes CEO direct sales and senior vice president, marketing Marzin R Shroff said, “We are happy to partner with Digitas as our digital agency. The core strength of Eureka Forbes is ‘relationships‘ with our customers. In this digital age, it is important for us to engage with our customers real-time on the digital platforms as well and cater to their needs. For over 30 years, India has known us for our direct marketing efforts; the vision is to replicate the same on the digital space as well. We believe the integrated approach and rich experience of Digitas will help us to strengthen our customer relationships on a long term basis and wish to build a strong e-commerce channel to supplement our success of direct selling in India.”

    Digitas India president Kanika Mathur said, “This is an amazing opportunity and we are incredibly excited to be a part of the digital initiative for Eureka Forbes – the world‘s No. 1 direct sales company. More and more of Eureka Forbes customers will be online as the internet explodes in India and we believe that a significant business model can be created online.”

    Eureka Forbes is a water purification company with marquee brands like Aquaguard and Euroclean for nearly 30 years. It has a strong legacy of building relationships with customers providing safest and technologically advanced health and hygiene solutions.

    The company today has emerged as a multi-product, multi-channel organisation with a strong pedigree of brands encompassing water purifiers, vacuum cleaners, air purifiers, home security and automation solutions, fire extinguishers and a large range of institutional products on the cleaning and the purification space.

  • Publicis acquires US digital agency Rokkan

    MUMBAI: Publicis Groupe has acquired 100 per cent stake in New York based full service digital agency Rokkan Media LLC.

    This is the group’s third acquisition in New York, having earlier acquired stake in luxury advertising agency AR New York on 4 December and in Outside Line on 13 December. These acquisitions have been made as a result of Publicis’ strong commitment to growth within the US market and the rapidly growing digital sector.

    Rokkan will operate as an autonomous unit within Publicis Groupe, and its co-founders — CEO John Noe, chief experience officer Chung Ng, and chief creative officer Charles Bae — will continue to lead the agency.

    The name Rokkan comes from the Japanese word for intuition or “sixth sense”. Founded in 2000, the agency focuses its expertise on creating innovative campaigns with strong cross-platform appeal in e-commerce, loyalty programs, digital marketing, mobile and social media. Rokkan‘s core services include strategy and planning, user experience, visual design, technology, 3D and motion graphics, marketing, game/app development and emerging media. The agency employs 70 professionals.

    Rokkan serves a list of brands that include JetBlue Airways (aviation), Nestlé Purina PetCare, Sharp Electronics, Bethesda Softworks (gaming), Chipotle Mexican Grill (restaurant chain), Caesars Entertainment (hotels and casinos), Dish Networks (satellite broadcasting), and Stolichnaya Vodka.

    Noe, Bae and NG said in a statement, “This is a major stepping stone that will take Rokkan to the next level and beyond. We‘ve seen a number of potential buyers over the years, but it wasn‘t until we met with the folks at Publicis Groupe that we found a partnership we truly believed in. Joining Publicis Groupe gives Rokkan access to resources, capabilities and knowledge to better scale, grow and service our multinational clients. Furthermore, it will help support Rokkan’s aggressive plans for domestic and global growth. We‘re thrilled to be joining a company that believes in our culture, people and vision.”

    Publicis has announced that it intends to transform itself into a ‘Human Digital Company’ and that 50 per cent of its overall revenues will be from its digital busbiness. In the United States, the group’s revenue derived from digital has reached nearly 50 per cent.

  • Publicis Groupe acquires UK’s Outside Line to boost Saatchi & Saatchi London

    MUMBAI: Continuing on its shopping spree across the globe, Paris headquartered Publics Groupe has acquired British digital agency Outside Line, a specialist in social and experiential media. Through this latest buy, Publicis has further enhanced the build-up of its profile in digital markets, in line with its strategic commitment to continue to increase the revenue it derives from digital and other high growth sectors.

    Outside Line will be integrated into the Saatchi & Saatchi Worldwide network, working alongside the Saatchi & Saatchi London office and further improving the agency‘s ability to deliver highly creative and effective multi-channel digital output at a faster, more efficient and cost effective rate. The agency‘s co-founders Ant Cauchi and Lloyd Salmons will take senior roles as digital directors at Saatchi & Saatchi London, and will be responsible for integrating existing business and growing digital revenue apart from continuing with their current duties. They will work closely with Saatchi & Saatchi‘s creative partners Kate Stanners and Paul Silburn, director of strategy Richard Huntington, as well as the director of integration Matt Groves, while reporting to Saatchi & Saatchi London‘s CEO Magnus Djaba.

    Outside Line was founded in 2000 and is based in London. In its 12 years of existence, the agency has become one of the top five independent social agencies in the UK according to New Media Age‘s Top 100 agencies report. The agency employs a work force of 68 people with expertise in areas ranging from digital design and development to content creation, customer relations management to experience-driven social media marketing. Outside Line‘s client list includes Andy Murray, Arla Foods (Cravendale and Lurpak), British Gas, Queen and Virgin Galactic, and its award-winning campaigns include “Music Inspired” for Beck‘s, “Newsroom Blog” for British Gas, “Milk Matters” for Cravendale, and “Food Beats” for Lurpak.

    Djaba said, “Outside Line is a perfect cultural fit for Saatchi & Saatchi. Both our agencies share an exciting vision. We‘re driven to create interactive social currency that is world-class, both online and offline – work that people share online, tweet about, and talk about in pubs, playgrounds and by the coffee machine. We‘re thrilled to be able to seize this opportunity to strengthen our digital core and further boost our service to clients in this crucial sector.”

    Cauchi and Salmons said in a statement, “We see this as a terrific opportunity to join an agency whose work we have always admired. Like us, Saatchi & Saatchi‘s teams are passionate about creating work that is inspiring and engaging, which people love and want to share. We know this is an exciting new step forward, both for our agencies and for our clients.”

  • Publicis to also look at inorganic growth to double rev in India by 2015: Naouri

    MUMBAI: Publicis Groupe chief operating officer Jean-Yves Naouri has set himself a stiff target. The 53-year-old South African, tipped to take over as chief executive officer of the third largest communications group in the world after the retirement of Maurice Levy, is aiming at doubling the agency‘s growth in two of the fastest-growing ad economies of the world.

    Naouri, however, feels that he can grow faster in China than in India. “We plan to double our size in China by 2013. And we are well on our way to doing that. In India, we will be able to double our size by 2015,” he tells Indiantelevision.com.

    Faced with a slowdown in the matured ad economies of the world, Naouri needs to be aggressive in the other markets. “We are working towards two things. We are getting aggressive on digital. Our other focus is on the fast emerging markets. We have already trebled our size in Brazil,” he avers.

    Naouri feels that there is a lot of potential in India and the time is not far when the world will see what this country is capable of. “Publicis surely will be there when this happens.”

    Publicis has started shopping in India to strengthen its presence in a market that is led by WPP. The agency has made four acquisitions in India over the last one year, three of them being in the digital space. The first to be gobbled up was Indigo (April), followed three months later by Resultrix. The Paris-based media communications conglomerate has just announced two more acquisitions: digital marketing agency iStrat and marketing consultancy firm Marketgate.

    “We are looking at both inoganic and organic growth in India. We see opportunities in acquisitions,” says Naouri.

    But doesn’t he agree with WPP CEO Martin Sorrell’s recent comment about valuations in India being economically extravagant? “Maybe he is speaking for himself. We do not have exorbitant valuations. We are known for being very conservative. Despite not being the highest bidder on several occasions, we have been able to consummate deals just because they wanted to join us. So I do not concur with Sorrell’s assessment.”

    Naouri also refuses to concur with the WPP boss’ assessment that India lacks self confidence. “I am very positive about India. And I feel that when you look at the potential and look at the talent, one should be excited with all the opportunities that India is showing.”

    India’s sluggish GDP growth rate of 5.3 per cent does not dampen Naouri’s bullish view on India. “We do not hold a dismal sentiment. We are cautiously optimistic. When you look at the rest of the world, some countries would dream to have a five per cent growth. I am not saying that things are easy for everybody in India. But I would say it’s manageable,” he says.

    Apart from investing in India, Publicis is also focussed on the growth of digital within its operations. The vision is to become a ‘Human Digital Company’. “We have said that digital and the fast growing markets like India, China and Brazil are the co-pillars of our future. And today if those two pillars are contributing 50 per cent of our revenues, our ambition is to take this up to 75 per cent,” explains Naouri.

    Publicis’ strategy is to acquire local agencies and align them with its global agencies. This allows Publicis to service the clients of that geography efficiently.

    “What is interesting is that we are starting to see the potential to work not only with local Indian clients, but also with Indian companies that have a global ambition. We are extremely excited at this opportunity to work with such clients. We look forward to a time when Leo Burnett and Indigo or Publicis Worldwide and iStrat can partner with and deliver outstanding work for such Indian companies,” says Naouri.

    Publicis is also bullish on e-commerce. The company recently entered into a partnership with IBM’s Smarter Commerce Initiative through its consulting-centered interactive agency Rosetta. The partnership combines Publicis Groupe’s deep experience in consumer insights, technology and building a broad eCommerce ecosystem around transactions with IBM’s technology, expertise and business process innovation to serve the needs of today’s Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs) and Chief Information Officers (CIOs) who want to align their organisations and purchase decisions around integrated content and commerce.

  • Publicis Groupe acquires a digital agency and a consulting firm in India

    MUMBAI: French global communications network, Publicis Groupe, has snapped up two Indian companies as part of its strategy to strengthen its digital offering and double the size of its India business by 2015.

    The first to be gobbled is iStrat, India‘s foremost integrated digital agency. The second purchase is MarketGate, a Mumbai-based strategic business and marketing consulting firm.

    “We look at talent and relevance while.making acquisitions and consulting is at the core of our business. So these two deals are in sync with our plans,” said Publicis Groupe COO and Publicis Worldwide Executive Chairman Jean-Yves Naouri.

    Naouri said that India‘s talent pool and market appetite make it a lucrative destination. “We agree that India is not where we would want it to be right now. But the country shows talent and appetite which makes it extremely positive,” he added.

    He also said that the acquisitions and consequent alignments of the acquired entites have been made keeping in mind the structure of the Publicis Groupe.

    While Indigo is aligned with Leo Burnett, Resultrix is with ZenithOptimedia. iStrat, on the other hand, will fall under Publicis Worldwide.

    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.

    Publicis had earlier acquired full-service interactive and technology agency Indigo Consulting, which operates as a unit within the Leo Burnett Group, the creative arm of Publicis.

    iStrat was founded in 2003 and provides solutions across all forms of digital marketing. The agency services a broad range of prestigious 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 Nestle.

    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 seven consulting experts aim to rejuvenate brands and power their growth by deploying marketing processes throughout their clients‘ organisations.

    Its clientele includes 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.

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

    “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 realising 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.

    “We are excited to become a part of the Publicis Worldwide network, and we look forward to tapping into its global best practices,” added iStrat co-founders Navneet Singh Sahni and Sonya Sahni.

    “Today‘s deal will offer richer, more diversified possibilities to both our clients and our teams. Our experience in India‘s digital space, together with Publicis‘ considerable know-how in brand building, will create an incredibly powerful offering for both current and future clients.”

    “This is a very exciting move for all of us at MarketGate,” added Shripad Nadkarni and Sharda Agarwal. “Twinning the world-class expertise of Publicis Groupe with our extensive experience of marketing and consultancy across all sectors in India will make for a very powerful combination. We‘re passionate about our clients, and we know that they will benefit from this move.”

    India is currently the world‘s 16th largest advertising market, and although the country‘s economic growth has slowed somewhat in 2012, it remains over 5 per cent. ZenithOptimedia forecasts (December 2012) advertising expenditure to increase by 7.7 per cent in India in 2013.

    Publicis Groupe had recently made VivaKi a separate business unit and will be available to all Publicis Groupe agencies and the market.

    VivaKi was launched in 2008 to accelerate the digital transformation of Publicis Groupe and its agencies. It was created through the combined scale and leadership of Digitas, Starcom MediaVest Group (SMG), ZenithOptimedia and later Razorfish.

    Fast-growing economies like Brazil, India, China and Russia are on the radar of all the global communications agencies. Publicis too is bullish about BRIC nations as these economies are called.

    The French communications group had also acquired Beijing-based digital marketing company, Longtuo, to gain clout in China‘s burgeoning e-Commerce market.

    It also bolstered Saatchi & Saatchi‘s digital offering in Asia Pacific by buying out local interactive agency Arachnid, which was later re-branded Saatchi & Saatchi Arachnid.

  • Publicis Groupe transforms Vivaki into separate biz unit

    MUMBAI: Publicis Groupe has announced that VivaKi will become a separate business unit now and will be available to all Publicis Groupe agencies and the market.

    VivaKi was launched in 2008 through the combined scale and leadership of Digitas, Starcom MediaVest Group (SMG), ZenithOptimedia and later Razorfish. It was created to accelerate the digital transformation of Publicis Groupe and its agencies.

    Publicis Groupe chairman and CEO Maurice Levy said, “As we seek even more aggressive growth and digital acceleration, the VivaKi leadership-Jack Klues, Laura Desmond (SMG CEO), Steve King (ZenithOptimedia CEO), Bob Lord (Razorfish CEO) and Frank Voris-have developed a plan to open up the VivaKi operations, creating a new impetus for further innovations and more aggressive growth for all Publicis Groupe agencies.”

    According to Levy, Klues is going to help set VivaKi on its new course, and then map his retirement. Klues will retire as CEO at the end of 2012 after 35 years with the organisation, though he will remain with Publicis Groupe through the first half of 2013 to help establish VivaKi as a separate business unit.”

    Vivaki CEO Jack Klues said, “The agencies have shaped and perfected our offerings, worked together to create valuable new solutions, and embraced a transformational philosophy of building, borrowing and sharing to the benefit of our clients. Digitas, Razorfish, SMG and ZenithOptimedia will continue to inform our roadmap even as they continue to enhance their own, unique propositions.”

    With this transformation, the VivaKi agencies will gain greater autonomy to differentiate and collaborate with this evolution. Yet they will remain tightly linked to the progress and offering of VivaKi, and as a result, they will report directly to Maurice Levy.

    VivaKi Exchange (VX) operations that currently exist in more than 12 global markets will continue with oversight from VivaKi Country Chairs (VCC) who will align with the media agencies to oversee VX operations and whose duties will include deployment and adoption of VivaKi offerings in local markets.

    VivaKi will also continue to advance its product development and Partnership Practice-a team that works with companies like Google, Facebook and Microsoft, to create first-mover opportunities, new products and preferred pricing.

    Additionally, Frank Voris will serve as CEO of the strategically focused VivaKi, partnering with Rishad Tobaccowala, who remains VivaKi‘s chief innovation and strategy officer.

    SMG has accelerated its digital offering by reinventing its core product around human experience, leveraging VivaKi products and expanding strategic partnerships with key technology companies.

    Razorfish and Digitas have benefited from the massive media clout and centralised ability of VivaKi to build tools and solutions that enhance the eCommerce offering of Razorfish, and the Social CRM capabilities of Digitas. As a result, the digital agencies have evolved and differentiated rapidly.

    Voris, who has served as VivaKi CFO since its inception, has been responsible for all VivaKi operations, including technology, product development and the integration of acquisition targets, since the entity was launched in 2008. Tobaccowala is a 30-year industry thought leader who has pioneered several industry firsts, including VivaKi Ventures, Denuo and other future-focused operational units that have delivered gaming, mobile and internet expertise to marketers.

    An executive board consisting of Desmond, King, Lord and Voris will collaborate on VivaKi product strategies, priorities and transactional tools and services.

  • ZenithOptimedia predicts 4.6% ad growth to $525 bn in 2013

    MUMBAI: Publicis Groupe’s research agency ZenithOptimedia has said in its latest forecast that global ad expenditure will grow 4.6 per cent to touch $525 billion in 2013.

    Continuing the trend that started with the economic downturn in 2007, the growth next year also will be led by developing markets predicted to grow by 8 per cent on average in 2013. Central and Eastern Europe are expected to bounce back after a tough 2012 with 7.4 per cent growth in 2013 ($28.592 billion), while Asia Pacific (excluding Japan) will grow by 8.2 per cent ($148.423 billion) and Latin America by 10.1 per cent ($41.935 billion). North America which has had a particularly strong 2012 owing to record Olympic audiences and heavier than expected political advertising in the US is expected to grow at a solid 3.6 per cent in 2013 ($178.313 billion).

    The digital medium will continue its strong growth into 2013 and is expected to grow at 15.1 per cent as compared to traditional media which is set to grow at 2.3 per cent.

    The agency has also revised it for the remainder of 2012 slashing the growth further from 4.3 per cent (as predicted in June) to 3.8 per cent. The main reason attributed to this downgrade is advertisers in the eurozone cutting expenses in response to further economic weakness. ZenithOptimedia predicts that the eurozone spend will shrink 3.1 per cent over the course of this year as compared to the earlier 1.1 per cent decline forecast in June. Assuming the region remains intact, budgets are expected to resume slow 0.9 per cent growth in 2013, strengthening to 2.3 per cent in 2014.

    “Advertisers are broadly continuing to invest, despite the global economic concerns and issues. However, they are seeking to ensure that all expenditures are delivering strong return on investment. The US continues to deliver solid growth. This combined with the growth in developing markets and in digital media, has helped mitigate the drop in eurozone spending,” said ZenithOptimedia Group global chief executive officer Steve King.

  • Publicis Groupe acquires Malaysian interactive agency Arachnid to bolster Saatchi & Saatchi digital offering in APAC

    MUMBAI: France-based Publicis Groupe has acquired 100 per cent stake in Malaysian digital agency Arachnid.

    Established in 1996 in the capital city Kuala Lumpur, the Malaysian agency today employs a team of more than sixty digital communications specialists. It has roots in digital and interactive marketing the agency‘s service offering has evolved to cover all forms of interaction-oriented touch-points. Its portfolio of clients includes Dutch Lady (dairy), Lexus, MINI, Petronas (oil and gas), Reckitt Benckiser, and Toyota. Arachnid serves over 25 markets across North America, South America, Western and Eastern Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia.

    Post the acquisition, the agency will be rebranded Saatchi & Saatchi Arachnid, and will become a part of the Saatchi & Saatchi network in the Asia-Pacific region. Arachnid founder and CEO Chin Weng Keong will continue to lead the business as Saatchi & Saatchi Arachnid, and will now report to Saatchi & Saatchi Asia Pacific Chairman and CEO Chris Foster.

    With this buyout, the Publicis Groupe now has more than 600 full-time employees in Malaysia through its networks Leo Burnett, Publicis Worldwide, Saatchi & Saatchi and VivaKi. At the end of June 2012, Publicis Groupe employed nearly 13,000 people across the Asia-Pacific region.

    Fosters said, “Today‘s transaction signifies a major scaling up of our digital capabilities across the Asia Pacific region, in order to provide our clients with the best possible solutions across the full multitude of consumer channels. The acquisition of Arachnid will further enhance our ability to deliver powerful integrated campaigns for our clients in this strategically important region and to unleash the ‘unreasonable power of creativity.‘ “

    Weng Keong added, “We‘ve been exploring becoming part of a global group for a while and we‘ve received a number of offers. We‘ve finally found the right fit with Publicis Groupe. We share a common vision and strategy with the Saatchi & Saatchi teams, and our excellent rapport promises a wide range of synergies. This is an opportunity for us to evolve beyond pure-play digital, and to integrate our capabilities into a new generation agency well positioned for an exciting future.”

  • Publicis beats Omnicom in race for LBi

    MUMBAI: Paris-based global media communications network, the Publicis Groupe and independent digital communications agency LBi International have reached an agreement where the former will acquire LBi for €416m (?333m).

    This is Publicis‘ fourth major acquisition in the digital playground this year following Digitas, Razorfish and Rosetta.

    It was reported earlier in June this year that another global giant Omnicom was the forerunner in the race to acquire the agency following WPP‘s acquisition of AKQA, but the French communications player has finally sealed the deal.

    With a global footprint, LBi is headquartered and listed in Amsterdam. LBi currently employs approximately 2,200 people in 16 countries (of which 630 are based in the UK) and has 32 offices around the world. The agency is active in digital marketing and has expanded its offering to a wide suite of digital media services, ranging from communication, e-commerce services to brand strategy, content, social media and mobile. Some of LBi‘s clients include Lloyds TSB, Volvo, Johnson & Johnson, Coca Cola, Carlsberg and Ikea.

    Led by CEO Luke Taylor, the agency has implemented successive strategic transformations with the acquisitions of Bigmouthmedia and Mr. Youth in 2010 and 2011 respectively and the creation of hubs in key markets to strengthen the company‘s worldwide presence. In 2011, LBi reported net revenue of €196.6 million, up 12 per cent from 2010. In the first half of 2012, LBi reported net revenue of €119.4 million, up 18.2 per cent from the equivalent period in 2011.

    The proposed acquisition of LBi will enable Publicis Groupe to increase its share of revenue derived from digital operations to over 35%, in line with its strategic goals, and to capitalise on the complementarity with its existing global digital businesses.

    Publicis Groupe chairman and CEO Maurice Lévy said, “The acquisition of LBi is another step forward in further strengthening our digital operations. Within the global advertising landscape, LBi is a well known partner for extraordinary digital customer experiences, based on a blend of creativity and expertise in technology, strategy and social media. The integration of LBi will further enhance our capabilities and, through a wider pool of resources and talent, help deliver innovative and best-in-class services to our clients, which is our relentless focus. Furthermore, this acquisition has a positive impact on our EPS in the first year post acquisition.”

    Taylor said, “We are convinced that this transaction not only provides highly attractive value to our shareholders, but equally to our clients, staff and partners. Publicis Groupe has consistently demonstrated a clear and emphatic belief in the importance of digital media and is recognised for grooming and managing its talent worldwide. Our entire strategy to date is built on a commitment to relentlessly drive and optimise value for our clients. There is now a unique opportunity to pace set the market and collaborate across new geographies and marketing services so that we can accelerate our strategic plans aimed at providing clients with a globally integrated offering.”

  • Acquisitions help Publicis report robust revenue growth

    MUMBAI: Paris-based global media communications group, Publicis Groupe, has reported a 19 per cent rise in profit to 275 million euro in the six months ended June 30, 2012 from 231 million a year earlier.

    Publicis‘ revenue grew by 14.3 per cent to 3.08 billion euro in the first half of 2012 from 2.69 billion euro a year earlier. The robust growth in revenues was despite the impact of the slowing down of the global economy, especially in the second quarter.

    The growth in organic revenues (excluding revenues from businesses acquired during the six months) was just 2.8 per cent, which was also lower than in the first half of 2011.

    During the first six months of 2012, digital services accounted for 33 per cent of total revenues (up from 29 per cent in 2011), while advertising contributed 30 per cent (31 per cent in 2011), 19 per cent came from the SAMS (20 per cent in 2011) and 18 per cent from media (20 per cent in 2011).

    Publicis Groupe saw the highest organic growth in the BRIC+MISSAT countries at 8.9 per cent, where India grew by 15.1 per cent, second only to South Africa where organic revenue grew by 20.8 per cent. Organic revenue in Brazil grew by 12.5 per cent, in Russia by 5.9 per cent, in China 7.8 per cent and in Mexico 8.9 per cent.

    In the European region, the growth in organic revenue in the UK was 4.1 per cent, while the growth was flat at 0.9 per cent in France. The other western European countries (Germany, Italy and Spain) too slowed down resulting in the overall growth in the region falling to 0.6 per cent.

    North America recorded an aggregate growth of 2.6 per cent in organic revenue, thus continuing to show resilience despite the loss of the GM Media and Search account and the sluggishness in the healthcare sector. Organic revenue in the the rest of the world, which includes Australia and Japan, grew by 3.9 per cent, Publicis said.

    The group‘s inorganic growth was fueled by a spate of acquisitions around the world including full-service Indian agency Indigo Consulting. Another notable acquisition by Publicis was that of Britain based global independent BBH and Brazilian agency Neogama/BBH. Other agencies/entities acquired by the French communications giant include BBR Group in Israel, Beijing based Longtuo, Flip Media in the Middle East and the Creative Factory in Russia.

    For the second quarter of 2012 ended 30 June 2012, the Publicis Groupe reported revenue of 1.63 billion euro, a 15.5 per cent rise from 1.41 billion euro a year earlier. As in the case with the half yearly revenues, the BRIC+MISSAT economies witnessed maximum organic growth at 7.8 per cent. Organic revenue in Europe on the other hand shrunk by 1.7 per cent. In North America, the organic revenue growth was 1.8 per cent in the first six months. The rest of the world organic revenue grew by 3.9 per cent.

    In a statement, Publicis Groupe Chairman and CEO Maurice Lévy said, “Just as we announced in our February forecast, organic growth has leveled off in the second quarter. This standstill results essentially from non-recurring events. Our third quarter should see a return to much higher growth, at rates far closer to our usual performance.”

    At 13,5 per cent, Publicis‘ margin is the same as last year‘s, notwithstanding weak growth in the second quarter. “This performance confirms our forecast for the year. The world economic situation is both volatile and uncertain. We need to maintain the greatest possible vigilance regarding our costs and investments,” said Levy.