Publicis Groupe Acquires Mediagong, One of France's Most Innovative Digital Agencies
PARIS, January 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --
Leo Burnett France Will Benefit From Startup's Digital Smarts
Publicis Groupe (EURONEXT Paris: FR0000130577) announced today the acquisition of Mediagong, a leading independent French digital agency.
Founded in 2002, Mediagong employs some 50 communications professionals on the conception and development of innovative digital tools and interactive campaigns. The company has demonstrated strong growth (more than 25% in 2011) and is particularly noted for its creation of vivid, playful and highly interactive narrative campaigns.
Its many core sectors include digital and community strategizing, social media, the development of brand content, advergaming and mobile.
Mediagong's client list is particularly strong in the food, beauty and luxury industries, as well as financial services and retail, and includes market leaders Accor hotels, Bel, Crédit Agricole, Danone, Dessange International and Lindt.
Mediagong will be aligned with Leo Burnett France, one of the top ten full-service agencies in the country, which has experienced very high growth over the past two years. Mediagong will retain its current name and will continue to operate under the leadership of its founding partners Guillaume De La Brosse, David Oks and Olivier Zetlers. They will take the title of Deputy Managers of Mediagong, an entity within Groupe Leo Burnett France, and will report to Jean-Paul Brunier, President of Groupe Leo Burnett France.
"Mediagong is a smart young company with a track-record that's already very solid and a management team that is very impressive indeed," said Jean-Paul Brunier, President of Leo Burnett France. "They're energetic, rigorous, structured and driven to achieve high levels of return on investment for their clients. Every project they undertake is carried out with the same passion for perfection. Digital has become key to our clients, and the French market has the potential for strong growth. This strategic acquisition means Leo Burnett will be among the very few full-service agencies with such a strong grounding in digital expertise."
Mediagong's three founders, Guillaume de la Brosse, David Oks and Olivier Zetlers, added, "When we began almost ten years ago, our motivation was fundamentally to offer our clients strategies that would be more wide-ranging, more effective and more international. From that viewpoint, our discussions with the Leo Burnett team showed us clearly that there would be huge advantages to pooling our expertise, whether TV, shopper marketing or digital. Uniting our skills -- in the sectors of food, beauty, banking and luxury, in particular -- will further strengthen the pertinence of our recommendations to clients. Moreover, this bond with one of the world's most creative networks will open up stimulating perspectives for our internal talent pool, within an ecosystem that is focused on the observation and understanding of human behavior."
ZenithOptimedia forecasts a 1.5% increase in total French adspend in 2012, from €9.7 billion in 2011 to €9.8 billion. Within that overall market, expenditure on Internet advertising is forecast to rise to 20% of the total in 2012 and 23% in 2014, up from 19% in 2011.
About Publicis Groupe
Publicis Groupe [Euronext Paris FR0000130577, part of the CAC 40 index] is the third largest communications group in the world, offering the full range of services and skills: digital and traditional advertising, public affairs and events, media buying and specialized communication. Its major networks are Leo Burnett, MSLGROUP, PHCG (Publicis Healthcare Communications Group), Publicis Worldwide, Rosetta and Saatchi & Saatchi. VivaKi, the Groupe's media and digital accelerator, includes Digitas, Razorfish, Starcom MediaVest Group and ZenithOptimedia. Present in 104 countries, the Groupe employs 50,000 professionals.
Web: http://www.publicisgroupe.com | Twitter:@PublicisGroupe | Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/publicisgroupe
About Leo Burnett France
Leo Burnett is one of the largest agency networks in the world, and is part of Publicis Groupe, the third largest communication group world-wide. Leo Burnett's HumanKind philosophy means putting people and their behavior at the heart of every strategy and creative idea. Consumers judge brands by their acts; thus Leo Burnett inspires and promotes acts that transpose brand projects into real experiences, thus transforming the way people think, feel and behave. As Leo Burnett himself said, "Creativity has the power to change human behavior". Leo Burnett France has experienced strong growth over the past two years, enabling it to recruit almost 80 new talents. Its client list includes Kellogg's, Procter & Gamble, Prisma Presse, Fiat, Philip Morris, Charal, Costa Croisières, Jeep, France's Ministry of Culture and Communication, Lindt, Petit Navire and Le Gaulois.
About Mediagong
Mediagong is an independent agency providing strategic consultancy and digital creative services. Founded in 2002, the agency internalizes every aspect of the digital business in order to develop comprehensive strategies that best meet the specific needs of individual brands. With a team of over fifty people, Mediagong now works with around twenty brands, on both their local and global issues.
CONTACTS
Publicis Groupe
Peggy Nahmany, Corporate Communication + 33(0)1-44-43-72-83
Martine Hue, Investor Relations + 33(0)1-44-43-65-00
Leo Burnett
Jean Paul Brunier + 33(0)1-55-84-65-01
Mediagong
Olivier Zetlers + 33(0)1-41-31-71-05
SOURCE Publicis Groupe
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