Indiantelevision.com Team

(19 September 2007 5:30 pm)

MUMBAI: Publicis Groupe has announced the acquisition of a majority stake of Capital Advertising, one of the key independent advertising agencies in India.

Capital will however, continue to operate autonomously, but will be aligned with the Asia operations of the Publicis Worldwide network.

Capital's founding directors Sunil Sachdeva and Prasad Subramaniam, will report to, Publicis Asia CEO Matthew Godfrey.

The move marks an important strategic reinforcement of Publicis Groupe in one of the most dynamic economies and fastest growing advertising markets in the world. All of
Publicis Groupe's biggest brands and networks are already established in India, including advertising networks Saatchi & Saatchi, Publicis and Leo Burnett; media networks ZenithOptimedia and Starcom, and the recently created India Media Exchange; as well as key marketing services agencies.

Furthermore, in 2005, Publicis Groupe significantly expanded its presence through the acquisition of Solutions, integrated marketing services agency. Altogether, Publicis Groupe already has more than 1,100 employees in India.

Publicis Worldwide executive chairman Olivier Fleurot said, "India is a very important market for Publicis Worldwide. Not only does Capital Advertising allow us to increase our presence in this rapid-growth market, but it also strengthens our offer in the capital, which is the Indian advertising industry's fastest growing zone, with a population of 14 million. We are pleased to welcome Sunil, Prasad, and the Capital teams on board."

Since its foundation in 1992 by Sunil Sachdeva and Prasad Subramaniam, Capital has committed itself to campaigns for local and global clients as varied as Maruti Suzuki, LG, CitiFinancial, Apollo Tyres, DLF, Hero Group, LML, and Spice Telecom, among others.

Areas of expertise range from "established economy" sectors such as automotive, consumer durables and FMCG to "new economy" sectors like telecom, IT and financial services. Capital Advertising prides itself on its record of largely organic growth, fuelled by existing clients who reward Capital's commitment and uncompromising delivery levels with more and more business.

Subramaniam and Sachdeva said, "Being part of an international network has become critical in order for us to best respond to our clients' needs in an increasingly globalized market. We feel that aligning Capital with Publicis will allow us to provide the best services to our clients, and the best opportunities to our employees. This move is our way of taking our business to the next level."