BackPublicis Groupe acquires Beehive Communications
Beehive will be rebranded as Publicis Beehive and will operate as a unit within Publicis Worldwide's global network
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Mumbai: Publicis Groupe SA on Tuesday announced the acquisition of Beehive Communications, a Mumbai-based advertising agency, for an undisclosed amount. This is the group’s seventh acquisition in India since the middle of 2012
“We are making significant strides toward achieving our goals in India," said Jean-Yves Naouri, chief operating officer of Publicis Groupe, in a statement on Tuesday. “By adding Beehive to the Publicis network we will be able to capitalize on a great pool of talent and market potential, as well as strengthen the unparalleled services we provide to our clients."
The acquisition of Beehive Communications is in line with the group’s global strategy. In April this year, in an interview with Bloomberg, Publicis Groupe chief executive officer (CEO) Maurice Levy said “he will focus on takeovers in emerging markets rather than digital expansion" as he forecast growth for the company this year.
The group has been expanding its footprint in the country through acquisitions. Its recent acquisitions include that of Indigo Consulting, a digital marketing and Web-development firm; Resultrix, a performance marketing firm; MarketGate, a strategic business and marketing consultancy; iStrat, a digital agency; Convonix, a digital marketing consultancy; and Neev, a technology services provider.
“Beehive brings both scale and strategic value to the Publicis offering in India," said Nakul Chopra, CEO of South Asia for Publicis Worldwide. “Coming on the heels of our earlier moves, this is another significant step towards realizing our goal of being counted among the top agency networks in India."
Beehive will be rebranded as Publicis Beehive and will operate as a unit within Publicis Worldwide’s global network. It will continue to function under the direction of Beehive founder and CEO Sanjit Shastri, and the current leadership team. They will now report to Chopra.
Beehive Communications has around 130 employees and provides integrated solutions, including digital services and research. Its clients list includes companies and brands such as Malaysia Tourism, General Motors, Korea Tourism, Jubiliant Retail, Indiabulls Finance and Bisleri, among others.
Publicis Groupe currently counts more than 3,200 permanent employees across India, through the following global networks: BBH, Digitas, Leo Burnett, MSLGROUP, Publicis Healthcare Communications Group, Publicis Worldwide, Saatchi and Saatchi, Starcom MediaVest Group, and ZenithOptimedia.
In July, Publicis and Omnicom announced plans to merge their global operations, making the new entity, worth $35.1 billion, the biggest advertising group in the world.
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