Publicis Groupe Acquires Outside Line, One of the UK's Most Renowned Independent Digital Agencies

PARIS, December 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Publicis Groupe [Euronext Paris: FR0000130577] announced today the acquisition of award-winning British digital agency Outside Line, a specialist in social and experiential media. The move accelerates Publicis Groupe's buildup 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.

Founded in 2000 and based in London, Outside Line has become one of the top 5 independent social agencies in the UK according to New Media Age (Top 100 agencies report). The skill-set of the agency's 68-strong team ranges from digital design and development to content creation, customer relations management and 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.

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. Ant Cauchi and Lloyd Salmons, in addition to their current roles as Outside Line's co-founders, will take senior roles as digital directors at Saatchi & Saatchi London, and will be responsible for integrating existing business and growing digital revenue. 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 is a perfect cultural fit for Saatchi & Saatchi," said Magnus Djaba, CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi London. "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."

"We see this as a terrific opportunity to join an agency whose work we have always admired," commented Outside Line co-founders Ant Cauchi and Lloyd Salmons. "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."

In December 2012 ZenithOptimedia forecast Internet adspend in the United Kingdom will grow by 9.2% in 2013, followed by 7.8% in 2014 and 4.3% in 2015.

    
    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 (Digitas, Razorfish, Rosetta, VivaKi), traditional advertising (BBH, Leo Burnett, Publicis Worldwide, Saatchi & Saatchi), public affairs, corporate communications and events (MSLGROUP), media buying and strategy (Starcom MediaVest Group and ZenithOptimedia) and specialized communications with PHCG (Publicis Healthcare Communications Group). Present in 104 countries, the Groupe employs 56,000 professionals.
 
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SOURCE Publicis Groupe