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Tag: WPP

  • Publicis Groupe’s revenue up 32% at €2.1 million in Q1 2015

    Publicis Groupe’s revenue up 32% at €2.1 million in Q1 2015

    MUMBAI: Advertising major Publicis Groupe reported a 31.7 per cent jump in first-quarter sales as a result of the positive impact of exchange rates, and partly due to its latest digital acquisition of Sapient.

     

    The agency’s first-quarter sales rose to €2.1 billion from €1.6 billion in the same period last year as the group benefited from the strong dollar and pound sterling compared with the euro.

     

    Acquisitions contributed €274 million or 17.2 per cent of revenue.

     

    Growth Forecast

     

    The company’s organic growth stood at +0.9 per cent. Though global economic growth has seen contrasting trends since the start of the year, Publicis achieved growth notably as a result of its strong presence in digital, which has become its main activity. Digital activities progressed by +4.7 per cent and now account for 50.2 per cent of total revenue. Healthcare also performed well. 

     

    North America revenue grew by 45 per cent to €1.15 billion, followed by Europe with an increase of 21.3 per cent to €575 million. BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) and MISSAT (Mexico, Indonesia, Singapore, South Africa, Turkey) markets rose by 13.2 per cent to €215 million euros. India, specifically, continued on the road to recovery with growth of +5.7 per cent.

     

    The agency said that in December, revenue will grow at two per cent above the industry average each year from 2016, with digital operations rising to 60 per cent of sales in 2018. Publicis predicted that the operating margin will rise to between 17.3 and 19.3 per cent of sales in 2018, compared with 15.3 per cent in 2012.

     

    Publicis Groupe chairman and CEO Maurice Levy said, “Our revenue is up to slightly over 30 per cent, partly due to the positive impact of exchange rates, and partly to the inclusion of Sapient since completing the acquisition. As we’ll continue to see, this is one of the important milestones of the Groupe’s transformation. We expected organic growth to be slightly down this quarter, but, on the contrary, it is up almost one per cent. This isn’t yet the growth rate we expect to see out of Publicis Groupe, but is nonetheless an encouraging return to growth.”

     

    “The main event of this early part of the year has been the completion of the Sapient acquisition, an event that gives Publicis Groupe a new strategic dimension while excelling the Groupe’s transformation. The integration process is already underway and the prevailing spirit is excellent,” Levy added.

     

    With the acquisition of Sapient, Publicis Groupe has become the only global group present all along the value chain – from consulting to marketing, from communications to commerce – brought to life through an outstanding expertise in the most high-performing technologies.

     

    Levy is hopeful that the second quarter will be better than the first, albeit with modest growth. Organic growth is expected to be higher in the second half-year. The Groupe expects that its high exposure to digital activities will ensure its future growth and the continued improvement of its margins between now and 2018. 

     

    Publicis Groupe is the third largest global advertising holding company in the world after WPP and Omnicom. 

  • WPP’s Data Alliance expands with Africa launch; Tighe named MD

    WPP’s Data Alliance expands with Africa launch; Tighe named MD

    MUMBAI: WPP’s Data Alliance has launched in Africa. The launch is aligned to WPP’s strategic vision of helping clients better leverage data in fast growing markets. 

     

    Devon Tighe, previously vice president of strategy and operations for Data Alliance, heads the new office as managing director. 

     

    Based in Cape Town, the operation will bring expertise from WPP’s global network to Sub-Saharan Africa to harness unique data sets and mobile opportunities. The focus is to accelerate development and enhancement of data-driven solutions, plus activate a mobile-first data strategy.

     

    Local WPP companies Ogilvy, Smollan, Acceleration, Barrows, Wunderman’s Aqua and TMARC came together as sponsoring members to help bring Data Alliance to the region. Together, these companies will work closely on projects to enhance the usage of data across WPP solutions, in turn increasing speed, cross-fertilization and decreasing costs.

     

    This launch is part of a campaign in WPP for “data horizontality” – the ability to better leverage WPP’s people, data and technology across the globe. This model works particularly well in the United States and United Kingdom where Data Alliance is supported by Kantar, GroupM, WPP Digital, Wunderman, KBM Group, JWT, Cohn & Wolfe and Geometry Global. To date, Data Alliance has had success in helping WPP companies better access and leverage data in ways that are more organized, efficient, effective and drive value for clients.

     

    “We are thrilled to help bring Data Alliance to Africa. How we use data more effectively across marketing communications is becoming an increasingly critical part of the conversation with our clients – both in South Africa and across the rest of the continent. We see Data Alliance as a powerful way to help us win competitive advantage for all our clients across a very broad range of data requirements,” said Ogilvy managing director digital portfolio Ben Evans.

     

    “We look at Africa as a region in which we can do some very modern and progressive things with data, in particular with mobile data. The launch of the Cape Town office is in response to client demand to grow data-driven capabilities in Sub-Saharan Africa. We know that by bringing together a strategic group of companies in Africa, we can help WPP’s agencies better serve clients through data connections that drive smarter decision making,” added Tighe.

     

    Tighe brings more than 10 years of experience in the colliding worlds of media and analytics to the role. Prior to joining Data Alliance, Tighe was a research director at The New York Times where she focused on business strategy and customer analytics. Before heading to the Times, she spent six years in research and product development at Dynamic Logic, now part of Millward Brown Digital, a company within WPP’s Kantar unit.

     

    In Africa, WPP companies (including associates) generate revenues of approximately $650 million and employ over 28,000 people.

  • WPP buys Medialets to measure mobile campaign ROI for clients

    WPP buys Medialets to measure mobile campaign ROI for clients

    MUMBAI: WPP has acquired US based mobile ad serving and measurement company Medialets Inc.

     

    Medialets offers software tools to help marketers manage and measure the complete return on investment of mobile ad campaigns.

     

    This acquisition continues WPP’s strategy of investing in fast growing sectors such as digital. WPP’s digital revenues were $6.9 billion in 2014, representing 36 per cent of the Group’s total revenues of $19 billion. WPP has set a target of 40-45 per cent of revenue to be derived from digital in the next five years.

     

    Medialets’ clients include American Express, HBO, Johnson & Johnson and Sky Sports television. The company employs almost 50 people and is based in New York with sales operations in Los Angeles, Chicago and London. Medialets was founded in 2008.

  • WPP’s Cohn & Wolfe appoints new corporate practice leadership

    WPP’s Cohn & Wolfe appoints new corporate practice leadership

    MUMBAI: WPP’s brand communications agency Cohn & Wolfe has appointed Andrew Escott, formerly managing director of UK Corporate, as global corporate practice leader effective immediately.

     

    Escott takes over from Geoff Beattie, who last week was named global leader of Cohn & Wolfe’s new Strategic Consulting Unit.

     

    Helen Searle, formerly UK Corporate director, steps up to become managing director of UK Corporate.

     

    The Corporate Practice operates across Cohn & Wolfe offices worldwide, covering all aspects of Reputation Management including Crisis and Issues Management, Business-to-Business Communications, CSR & Sustainability, Employee Engagement, Public Affairs and Corporate Storytelling. 

     

    “Demand for our corporate reputation work has grown significantly around the world and Andrew has been a major contributor to our success. Under Andrew’s leadership, I see our Corporate Practice continuing to be a significant driver across Cohn & Wolfe markets,” said Cohn & Wolfe CEO Donna Imperato.

     

    The UK has been among the agency’s stand-out markets for corporate work. Over the past four years, the UK Corporate Practice doubled revenues, expanded its suite of services and added major global brands in the natural resources, financial services, healthcare and food and drink industries. Current clients include Warburtons, Twinings, Ferrero, Asia Pulp & Paper and Lloyds Banking Group. 

     

    Escott said, “The global business environment has never been tougher so our clients need a partner that can seamlessly both protect and promote their business. That’s what we have built in London and it has been a successful and differentiated model driven by a hugely talented team. Helen is a great leader, a critical part of our recent success and I have no doubt she will take the business even further.”

     

    Escott joined Cohn & Wolfe in 2009 to drive the UK office’s crisis management and corporate health capabilities. In 2010, he founded Cohn & Wolfe Political Counsel, the agency’s first public affairs service. Since then he has worked across service areas to create a fully integrated Corporate Practice able to advise clients on all aspects of reputation management. While managing director of the UK Corporate Practice, Escott’s client work included Danone, Warburtons and Asia Pulp & Paper.

     

    Searle joined Cohn & Wolfe in 2012 as a corporate director and now leads integrated corporate brand campaigns for clients such as Lloyds Banking Group, Danone and Make. Searle brings more than a dozen years’ experience at agencies such as Blue Rubicon and Weber Shandwick, where she delivered award-winning campaigns for Aviva, O2, RBS and Visa. Searle is a specialist in devising creative corporate campaigns that embrace both B2B and B2C audiences.

  • WPP launches marketing foresight consultancy Gain Theory

    WPP launches marketing foresight consultancy Gain Theory

    MUMBAI: WPP has launched Gain Theory, a marketing foresight consultancy that will bring together data, analytics, technology solutions and consumer-insight capabilities.

     

    It combines WPP’s intellectual capital in media, marketing, data and technology to create a consultancy that will help brands make smarter, faster, predictive business decisions.

     

    According to a recent independent qualitative research study, marketers feel swamped by the sheer volume of data and technology solutions in the marketplace. Marketers also highlighted the need for a partner that would help them navigate this landscape, offering the insight and intelligence required to integrate, predict, plan and model marketing decisions effectively.

     

    Led by worldwide CEO Jason Harrison, Gain Theory will address this need by providing solutions that tackle a set of pain points faced by marketing and insight professionals today in achieving the desired ROI from their marketing activities. These pain points include:

     

    · Difficulty discerning actionable information from an expanding set of data and technology

     

    · Confusion around terminology and jargon

     

    · Multiple answers to a single business question

     

    · The need for faster, smarter predictive insights

     

    “At Gain Theory, our goal is to give clients the confidence to make the best marketing decisions now and in the future. Gain Theory’s predictive analytics and global team of specialists help simplify the process, distilling complex data and providing a holistic perspective to improve marketing results. I’m honored to lead such a dynamic team of smart problem solvers,” said Harrison.

     

    The Gain Theory team comprises 200 marketing effectiveness consultants, analysts, data experts and engineers. This team offers insight-backed recommendations so that brands can adjust their marketing programmes for maximum business impact.

     

    Gain Theory APAC CEO and worldwide chief strategy officer Sunder Muthuraman said, “At Gain Theory we will offer marketers thorough bespoke analytical solutions. Our solutions will bring intellectual capital in marketing analytics, big data, technology, media and customer relationship management to drive successful marketing decisions. Our goal is to create a new, independent and unbiased consultancy that will help marketers on the journey from data to outcomes and make smarter, faster predictive marketing decisions.”

     

    He further added, “Gain Theory service will include a number of new exciting products that will be launched shortly – marketing ROI management platforms;   visual analytics platforms, customer engagement management services, marketing forecasting and more.”

     

    With key hubs in New York, London and Bangalore, the global operations will be supported by Manjiry Tamhane as worldwide COO and CEO, EMEA and Muthuraman.

     

    “There’s no denying that technology today offers us more access to data than ever before but, in doing so it can also create paralysis for companies that need to act quickly. As an independent, third-party consultant, Gain Theory is a trusted partner that can help brands move forward confidently with the right marketing strategy,” said Harrison.

     

    Globally, Gain Theory serves a host of premier global businesses across multiple geographies.

  • WPP, Coca-Cola, BBDO Worldwide top Effie Effectiveness Index

    WPP, Coca-Cola, BBDO Worldwide top Effie Effectiveness Index

    MUMBAI: Effie Worldwide has released its global rankings for the most effective marketers, brands, agency holding groups, agency networks, agency offices and independent agencies according to results of the 2015 Effie Effectiveness Index.

     

    Now in its fifth year, the Effie Index recognizes the architects of the most effective marketing communications ideas from around the world, determined by their success in more than forty national & regional Effie Award competitions.

     

    Companies ranked highest in the 2015 Effie Effectiveness Index globally include The Coca-Cola Company (marketer) and Coca-Cola (brand), WPP (agency holding group), BBDO Worldwide (agency network), Colombian agency Sancho BBDO (individual agency office) and Ukraine’s Banda Agency (independent agency).

     

    “Effie Worldwide’s annual Effie Index recognizes the exceptional ideas that delivered results and made a difference for businesses globally. The Index is distinctively comprehensive in that it shines a light on the incredible ideas that worked around the globe, from local to international campaigns, and from both multi-nationals and independent brands. This year’s honorees have set the bar higher for the industry and proven that great creative combined with thoughtful strategy equates to successful marketing initiatives,” said Effie Worldwide chair of the board of directors and Facebook vice president, global marketing solutions Carolyn Everson.

     

    Highlights from this year’s rankings include TheCoca-Cola Company unseating Effie Index incumbent Unilever (now second) as the top ranked marketer. Procter & Gamble retained its third place position. Coca-Cola remained the most effective global brand for the third year in a row. Vodafone jumped to second place, bumping McDonald’s down to third in the global brand ranking.

     

    The top three most effective holding groups remained unchanged from last year, with WPP Group ranked as the most effective agency holding group for the fourth consecutive year, followed by Omnicom and Interpublic. For the second year in a row, BBDO Worldwide topped the world’s most effective agency network ranking, with McCann Worldgroup moving up one spot to second, pushing Ogilvy & Mather to third.

     

    Sancho BBDO topped the Global Individual Agency Office rankings for the second year in a row. Banda Agency regained its spot as the most effective independent agency in 2015. It was previously ranked first in the 2013 rankings.

     

    “The Effie Effectiveness Index is the world’s most prestigious ranking of effective marketing, and five years of data allows for a bigger picture to compare and contrast the trends in marketing. What’s more, by having access to the cases that led to success in the Effie Index, marketers can study best in class examples of effective marketing from around the globe,” said Effie Worldwide president and CEO Neal Davies.

     

    The 2015 Effie Effectiveness Index is compiled from 3,136 finalists and winning entries from worldwide Effie Award competitions between 1 January, 2014 – 31 December, 2014. This is the first time the Effie Index rankings were calculated using a January-December qualifying period, which will provide marketers with a better understanding of their success over a single calendar year. Previous rankings were tabulated over a June-June eligibility time period.

     

    Effie Index Global Rankings:

     

    The top five most effective marketers in the world are: The Coca-Cola Company, Unilever, Procter & Gamble, Mondelēz and PepsiCo.

     

    The top five most effective brands in the world are: Coca-Cola, Vodafone, McDonald’s, Pepsi and Movistar.

     

    The top five most effective agency holding groups are: WPP Group, Omnicom, Interpublic (IPG), Publicis Groupe and Havas.

     

    The top five most effective agency networks are: BBDO Worldwide, McCann Worldgroup, Ogilvy & Mather, Lowe & Partners and Young & Rubicam.

     

    The top five most effective individual agency offices are: Sancho BBDO (Bogota), FP7/DXB (Dubai), Lowe Lintas (Mumbai), Ogilvy & Mather (Mumbai) and FCB New Zealand (Auckland).

     

    The top five most effective independent agencies are: Banda Agency (Kiev), MINT (Dubai), thjnk (Hamburg), ACG Advertising Agency (Budapest) and Barnes, Catmur & Friends (Auckland).

     

    The Index can also be analyzed by region and the companies that ranked highest in each region in 2015 are:

     

    Asia Pacific

    Unilever (marketer), Coca-Cola (brand), WPP Group (agency holding group), Ogilvy & Mather (agency network), Lowe Lintas – Mumbai (agency) and Barnes, Catmur & Friends – Auckland (independent agency).

     

    Europe

    Unilever (marketer), Coca-Cola (brand), WPP Group (agency holding group), McCann Worldgroup (agency network), Adler, Chomsky & Warshavsky Grey in Tel Aviv (agency) and Banda Agency in Kiev (independent agency).

     

    Latin America

    The Coca-Cola Company (marketer), Movistar (brand), WPP Group (agency holding group), BBDO Worldwide (agency network), Sancho BBDO – Bogotá (agency) and a tie between Madre Buenos Aires and Beat (Bogota) (independent agency).

     

    Middle East & Africa

    Unilever (marketer), Coca-Cola (brand), Interpublic (IPG) (agency holding group), McCann Worldgroup (agency network), FP7/DXB – Dubai (agency) and MINT – Dubai (independent agency)

     

    North America

    Procter & Gamble (marketer), Dove (brand), Publicis Groupe (agency holding group), Starcom MediaVest Group (agency network), Starcom MediaVest Group, Chicago (agency) and Cramer-Krasselt, Chicago (independent agency).

     

  • WPP’s Data Alliance partners Facebook to activate data

    WPP’s Data Alliance partners Facebook to activate data

    MUMBAI: WPP’s Data Alliance and Facebook have deepened a global partnership giving marketers access to new data-driven solutions that deliver personalization at scale on Facebook. This multi-year partnership is centered on bringing new audience building and measurement tools to market.

     

    For the first time, marketers can activate WPP’s proprietary data assets within Facebook. Data assets from GroupM, Kantar and Wunderman’s KBM Group will be connected and activated on Facebook, in a way that respects consumer privacy. WPP’s marketers, planners and buyers will have access to unique combinations of WPP and Facebook data assets, enhanced insights, and new audience building solutions. This will help WPP clients effectively create campaigns across all Facebook ad formats, including video, photo, and link ads on both mobile and desktop. Enabling tools that let marketers reach real people across all devices allows marketers to more effectively draw connections between online marketing and real business outcomes.

     

    WPP companies will also work with Facebook to pilot new data-driven solutions to better measure effectiveness with online and offline sales impact in multiple countries, enhance mix modeling and deepen Facebook Insights.

     

    Lastly, there will be joint research and thought leadership on new metrics, services and solutions that help brands better leverage Facebook to reach consumers.

     

    “We gather insights on millions of consumers each year on what people buy and why, including product assortment, retail strategy, brand health, copy testing, campaign effectiveness, media measurement, earned media monitoring and purchase data. Now we can leverage those learnings for our clients and make them actionable on Facebook,” said Kantar CEO Eric Salama.

     

     

    “Facebook and WPP companies work well together. It was only natural we would want to find more ways to work smarter together. As strategic partners, we want to bridge the measurement gap for brands and help clients develop more meaningful relationships with consumers. This partnership allows us to do that through collaboration, innovation and data activation,” said GroupM chief data officer Harvey Goldhersz.

     

    “KBM Group cultivates data that allows marketers to paint rich pictures of consumers. Of equal importance is helping brands interact with consumers in ways that will delight the consumer. This partnership with Facebook provides a very meaningful way to help clients connect with consumers in highly-relevant ways, even in emerging markets,” said KBM Group CEO Gary S. Laben and Wunderman global chief data officer.

     

    “We are committed to deepening our partnerships with the agency ecosystem across technology, media, and data. This global data partnership lays the foundation to provide WPP clients choice in the data they use for media solutions and the proper tools to effectively measure tangible business results on Facebook,” added Facebook director, global agency development Patrick Harris.

  • Varun Channa appointed as Mindshare Malaysia MD

    Varun Channa appointed as Mindshare Malaysia MD

    MUMBAI: Mindshare APAC, the global media agency network part of WPP, has appointed Varun Channa as managing director of Mindshare Malaysia.

     

    Channa takes over the role from Mindshare managing director Gerald Wittenberger, who returned to Europe at the end of 2014. 

     

    Mindshare Asia Pacific COO Gowthaman Ragothaman said, “We are totally delighted to welcome Varun on board, who brings a wealth of experience across industries and markets. This is the beginning of a new chapter in the whole new world of connected media, where content, creativity and consumer data in the Malaysian market is at the centre of all activities and importance.”

     

    GroupM Malaysia CEO Girish Menon added, “With Varun, we have hit upon a fantastic combination – with JWT, he honed his skills in developing communications solutions for some iconic global brands and then as a tech-savvy marketer with Danone in three different fast-growing, competitive markets, he got his hands dirty developing marketing solutions to deliver strong business results. I believe these are the combination of skills and experiences that our clients increasingly expect from the head of their agency, so I am confident that Varun will lead Mindshare to even greater success.”

     

    Channa said, “It’s a pleasure to be part of Mindshare Malaysia in these exciting times when media is playing an even greater role in growing our clients’ business. Seeing the pipeline of innovative digital solutions we have, I look forward to us adding greater value to our clients’ business.”

     

    He joins Mindshare after six years with Danone Indonesia, where he helped turn around their fresh dairy business and developed the roadmap for their Isotonics. Prior to that, he was marketing head and part of the start-up team for Danone India and also spent nearly 15 years with JWT India at their Mumbai office working with Unilever and other key clients.

  • WPP’s Xaxis acquires US mobile advertising & e-commerce company

    WPP’s Xaxis acquires US mobile advertising & e-commerce company

    MUMBAI: WPP’s wholly-owned operating company Xaxis has agreed to acquire Action Exchange, Inc. (ActionX), a mobile advertising and e-commerce company in the United States.

     

    ActionX’s proprietary mobile-first data, audience targeting and dynamic creative advertising technology allows its clients to engage customers on multiple screens on the path to the point of purchase. Clients include e-commerce and media subscription companies such as Forbes, JackThreads and Hearst. ActionX employs 25 people and is based in New York.

     

    This investment continues WPP’s strategy of investing in fast growing sectors such as mobile and e-commerce. WPP’s digital revenues were $6.9 billion in 2014, representing 36 per cent of the Group’s total revenues of $19 billion. WPP has set a target of 40-45 per cent of revenue to be derived from digital in the next five years.

     

    Xaxis is a programmatic media platform that directs more than $770 million of audience-targeted media buys across 40 markets in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East.

  • O&M inks JV with Hogarth Worldwide to form global production house

    O&M inks JV with Hogarth Worldwide to form global production house

    MUMBAI: Ogilvy & Mather has joined forces with Hogarth Worldwide, a sister WPP company, to launch H&O (Hogarth & Ogilvy) – a new company that will bring the resources and technology of the two companies together.

     

    Headquartered in London, H&O will stand alongside Hogarth with a presence in 48 Ogilvy offices. This will create the largest marketing implementation group in the world.

     

    Through this venture, Ogilvy’s production unit, RedWorks, will be consolidated into this new entity, giving clients access to the traditional strengths and global network of RedWorks in addition to Hogarth’s unique offerings – full broadcast and moving image capability, a market leading language and transcreation service and proprietary technology solutions.

     

    Ogilvy & Mather worldwide chairman and CEO Miles Young said, “I have always believed that to be a truly integrated world-class communications agency, we need to be best-in-class in each and every one of our specialist disciplines. Marketing implementation is no exception especially in this new age of marketing and branding. H&O is our response to the ever-changing needs of our clients, and our growing role as content producers and distributors. It will be an ideas-delivery engine sitting at the heart of Ogilvy that will change the conversation about how brands are brought to the market dynamically.”

     

    Explaining his reasons for choosing to partner with O&M, Hogarth Worldwide CEO Barry Jones added, “H&O is a new concept. It puts a creative realization engine at the heart of a creative powerhouse. With Hogarth going from strength to strength, having H&O in parallel gives us the opportunity to bring all of our capabilities directly to Ogilvy’s clients.”

     

    Jonathan Adler will join the group to serve as H&O global CEO. Ginny Maycox, currently COO of O&M West will be global CFO. Duncan Stokes, who is global CEO of RedWorks will lead H&O in EAME as well as taking global responsibility with Adler for the change management. RedWorks veterans Xavier Carou and Michael Burgess will be CEO in Latina America and Asia Pacific respectively. While in North America, Matt Bonin will be chief production officer and Jonathan Parker will be chief operations officer.

     

    Adler said, “I have spent my career working in advertising and marketing services, essentially bringing great ideas to life. I don’t think there is a sector or discipline I’ve not touched and I truly love the creative process. The opportunity to combine two great global companies was irresistible, and I am extremely excited about what the future holds for H&O, helping deliver Ogilvy’s vision of the future.”