DDB announces acquisition of 22feet in India

MUMBAI, India, Feb. 23, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- In a move to lead the development of the digital marketing solutions space in India, DDB Group Asia Pacific and Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE:OMC), today announced it has acquired 22feet.

One of the most dynamic and leading digital marketing firms in India, 22feet will merge with Tribal Worldwide India creating a new entity known as 22feet Tribal Worldwide, and part of the DDB Mudra Group.

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Effective immediately, 22feet Tribal Worldwide will be spearheaded by Vineet Gupta, Managing Director, Brijesh Jacob, Joint Managing Director, and Deepak Nair, Chief Operating Officer. All three, originally from 22feet, will report directly to Madhukar Kamath, Group CEO & Managing Director, DDB Mudra Group. They will also work closely with Patrick Rona, President, Chief Digital Officer, DDB APAC & President, Tribal Worldwide APAC Tribal Worldwide, and the rest of the Tribal World Wide network across 42 countries to deliver relevant International learnings to the local market.

John Zeigler, Chairman & CEO, DDB Group Asia Pacific, India and Japan, said, "We see this as a strategic move to continue evolving our capabilities in the fast-moving Indian market. DDB Group has accelerated its capabilities to offer clients the best-in-class local digital expertise at 22feet, coupled with best-in-class global knowledge of the Tribal Worldwide network. I believe this is a game-changing event for DDB Mudra Group in India."

22feet has become India's benchmark company working with iconic brands such as Cafe Coffee Day, Fastrack, Lenovo, Heineken, Kingfisher, Red Bull and Axe.

22feet Tribal Worldwide will offer its clients end-to-end digital and mobile branding and marketing solutions including strategy and consulting, web designing, web development, media planning, search engine marketing, social media marketing, mobile marketing solutions, mobile application development, mobile couponing and mobile UI.

Madhukar Kamath, Group CEO & Managing Director, DDB Mudra Group, said, "With digital at the heart of DDB Mudra Group's agenda, we are extremely happy about joining forces with 22feet. I have tremendous respect for Vineet, Brijesh and Deepak, who are focused and determined in what they do. This energy flows into the organization's talent pool and their work. Under their leadership, in just five years, 22feet has grown leaps and bounds. With this energy and Tribal Worldwide's global reputation and reach, I'm excited to see what this magic of mergers can create."

Vineet Gupta, Managing Director, 22feet Tribal Worldwide said, "We are extremely excited to be a part of the DDB Group family. At 22feet, we share DDB's passion for innovation and technology and look forward to delivering best in class digital solutions to our clients across markets, as 22feet Tribal Worldwide."

Brijesh Jacob, Joint Managing Director, 22feet Tribal Worldwide said, "The agencies I have often been in awe of are generally not part of the network(s) I admire. In this case both the agency and the network get double thumbs up from me. Tribal, purely as a name along with its body of work, over the years and across the globe, is truly inspirational. The mix of technology and creativity, which they practice is in line with the thinking we have at 22feet and therefore I think exciting times are in store in terms of the work, the learning and the exposure."

Deepak Nair, COO, 22feet Tribal Worldwide said, "22feet with its immense talent pool and client base is today at an inflection point and strategically very well positioned to leverage the shift towards digital. We are extremely happy with this opportunity to operate on a global canvas, and we look forward to very exciting times ahead, as 22feet Tribal Worldwide."

About Omnicom
Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC) is a leading global marketing and corporate communications company. Omnicom's branded networks and numerous specialty firms provide advertising, strategic media planning and buying, digital and interactive marketing, direct and promotional marketing, public relations and other specialty communications services to over 5,000 clients in more than 100 countries. www.omnicomgroup.com

About Tribal Worldwide
Tribal Worldwide (www.tribalworldwide.com), an Advertising Age A-List Agency, is headquartered in New York with 60 offices spanning 42 countries around the globe. Since it was founded in 2000, Tribal Worldwide has expanded and been recognized well beyond its digital roots. By 2005, Tribal Worldwide was named Interactive Agency of the Year by Adweek and at the Cannes International Advertising Festival, where it took home the most Lions and the Cyber Grand Prix. This was followed in 2007 by Tribal Worldwide being the first "digital" agency to win Global Agency Network of the Year from Advertising Age, and then, in 2009, being the first to win the Grand Prix in Film at the International Advertising Festival at Cannes. In 2013, Tribal Worldwide was named the most awarded agency group at the Webbys. Tribal Worldwide continues to draw on its expertise in digital innovation and its heritage of creativity and insights to bring clients the most effective and differentiating marketing solutions for today's world.

Since its entry into India in 2005, Tribal Worldwide India, has built itself a robust set of clients including Rin/Radiant, Knorr, Kissan, Huggies, Emirates, McDonald's and L&T. It has also won a number of awards at various digital forums.

About 22feet in India
Founded in 2009 by Vineet Gupta, Brijesh Jacob, Deepak Nair and Vinod Moolacherry, 22feet (www.22feet.in) is a digital marketing solutions firm headquartered in Bangalore with operations also in Mumbai and Delhi. With a strong focus on creativity and technology, 22feet has worked on some of the most talked about digital initiatives in India and was also the winner of the first ever Facebook World Hack, India Chapter in 2012. The portfolio of services provided by 22feet includes digital marketing strategy & consulting, web design & development, application development, mobile marketing solutions, search engine marketing, social media marketing, studio services and branded content.

With 115 employees across 3 offices, 22feet continues to create effective digital solutions for some of the most iconic brands in India and International like Café Coffee Day, Lenovo, Heineken, Parachute, Livon, Kingfisher, Red Bull, Fastrack, Titan, Nike, Van Heusen, Royal Enfield, Peter England, Pantaloons and Axe.

SOURCE Omnicom Group Inc.; DDB