Interactive Powerhouse Blast Radius Aligns with Wunderman Network

    NEW YORK, Oct. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- WPP has acquired Vancouver-based
 Blast Radius, a strategic interactive agency with offices in Amsterdam, New
 York, London, Toronto and San Francisco. Following Closing, Blast Radius
 will be aligned with WPP's Wunderman network, the second largest marketing
 services and relationship marketing network*. The move marks a continuation
 of Wunderman's strategy to grow its digital operations both in breadth of
 capabilities and geographies and become the industry's leading digital
 player.
     Blast Radius, recognized as a leader in the transformation from
 traditional online advertising towards creating engaging customer
 experiences, offers a vast suite of services including marketing strategy,
 experience design and optimization, technology implementation and social
 media to Fortune 500 companies including Nike, Whirlpool, Newell
 Rubbermaid, UnitedHealth Group and Starbucks. Wunderman is a division of
 WPP's (Nasdaq:   WPPGY) network of advertising and marketing companies.
     Recognized by Forrester Research for its unique approach to social
 networking, Blast Radius is one of a handful of top agencies with detailed
 customer relationship maps at the core of their processes. This adds a
 critical dimension to Wunderman's digital expertise, which already includes
 digital relationship marketing, Web analytics and data integration.
     "Wunderman is already a leader in Relationship Marketing. As marketers
 increase their dependency on digital channels, Wunderman and Blast Radius
 are well situated to provide unparalleled online relationship marketing
 capabilities to meet the growing global demand. With its focus on creating
 interactive experiences with the customer at the core, Blast Radius will
 add a unique expertise to our growing digital platform," said Wunderman
 Chairman and CEO Daniel Morel.
     Earlier this year, Wunderman expanded its digital footprint by
 acquiring interactive agencies in South Africa (Aqua Online) and Belgium
 (These Days) and bolstered its data infrastructure by acquiring a
 controlling interest in DataCore Marketing in the U.S.
     "At Blast Radius, we advocate to our clients the need to move beyond
 traditional marketing approaches and treat the web as not just another
 channel to push polished messages," said Gurval Caer, CEO and president,
 Blast Radius. "It's about brands becoming innovative experiences that make
 people's lives easier, better, richer. With Wunderman, we will continue to
 help clients create customer-centric brand strategies but will now be able
 to do so on a more global basis."
     Caer continued, "At the core of Wunderman lies phenomenal customer data
 and insights which when combined with our interactive customer engagement
 strategies allows us to bring brands and people together like never before.
 This combination of Data, Insights and Engagement is the DNA of the agency
 of the future and will help us fulfill Lester Wunderman's vision that 'we
 must create relationships or else.'"
     Blast Radius was founded in 1997, originally working with video game
 manufacturers in Vancouver. Over the past 10 years it has worked with top
 global brands in the automotive, consumer goods, travel and transportation
 and financial services industries and has been named one of Canada's Best
 Managed Companies. Blast will continue to have the autonomy needed to stay
 creative and remain independent at heart while accessing the resources of
 the Wunderman network to continue to grow.
     Montgomery & Co., LLC acted as financial advisor, and Farris, Vaughan,
 Wills and Murphy LLP acted as legal advisor to Blast Radius Inc.
     About Blast Radius
     Blast Radius is a strategic interactive agency that builds long term
 relationships with major consumer-facing brands to deliver innovative and
 profitable customer experiences that realize the promise of the connected
 world. It does this by combining business savvy, experience design, and
 industry-leading technologies, including its on-demand Customer Experience
 Platform. Based in Vancouver, Blast Radius has offices in San Francisco,
 New York, Toronto, Amsterdam and London.
     About Wunderman
     Wunderman is the original and most diverse marketing services network
 in the world. Our powerful creative campaigns reach customers wherever they
 are- online, on-the-move or in their homes or offices-and incite action,
 lifelong relationships and measurable business results. Since 2002,
 Wunderman work was recognized with 25 Lions at the prestigious
 International Advertising Festival-Cannes Lions, including the coveted
 Direct Grand Prix two years in a row. In 2006, The Wunderman Network was
 recognized with nearly 300 awards. This year, The Wunderman Network ranked
 4th in Advertising Age's Top 10 Digital Agencies and our expertise is
 acknowledged regularly in the press and by industry analysts. Wunderman,
 part of Young & Rubicam Brands, is a member of WPP (Nasdaq:   WPPGY).
 
 

SOURCE Wunderman