MAM
WPP acquires majority stake in Thomas Idea through XM Asia
MUMBAI: Global media communications giant WPP‘s XM Asia has acquired majority stake in digital marketing agency Thomas Idea in Thailand. XM Asia operates under JWT.
Founded in 1995 in Bangkok, Thomas Idea employs 45 people and had total assets of around THB 50 million for the year ended 31 December 2012. Thomas Idea services include online strategy consulting, website design and development, digital marketing and applications design. Clients include Beiersdorf, Reckitt Benckiser, TIPCO, Abbott Laboratories and Pruska.
This investment is another step in implementing WPP‘s objective of developing its businesses in the fast growing economies of Asia Pacific, as well as Latin America, Africa and the Middle East, and Central and Eastern Europe. Collectively, the Group, including associates, has revenues of $5 billion in the Asia Pacific region, and employs more than 46,000 people in that region. In Thailand, the Group, including associates, has revenues of approximately $140 million and employs around 1,600 people.
MUMBAI: Mar-tech network Wondrlab Network is in talks to acquire advertising major Madison World, according to media reports, in a move that could reshape India’s agency landscape.
In a statement shared with Social Samosa, Wondrlab Network founder and CEO Saurabh Varma, confirmed that the group is actively evaluating acquisition opportunities but declined to confirm any specific transaction.
“We have consistently stated that Wondrlab is building for scale, and acquisitions remain an important part of that strategy. We are in discussions with multiple companies across capabilities that strengthen our platform-first, full-funnel marketing and technology offering. Any development will be communicated at the appropriate time,” Varma said.
Wondrlab has pursued acquisitions as part of an ambitious plan to buy 26 agencies across three phases. In 2025, it completed its seventh acquisition, underscoring its appetite for inorganic growth.
According to reports, Madison founder Sam Balsara is seeking around Rs 1,000 crore for the agency. If the Wondrlab deal goes through, it would rank as the largest acquisition of an Indian agency by another Indian agency.
Wondrlab was launched in November 2020 by Saurabh Varma, Vandana Varma, and Rakesh Hinduja. Its first acquisition followed swiftly with the December 2020 purchase of Amit Akali’s creative shop, What’s Your Problem.
Since then, the group has steadily expanded its footprint. It acquired influencer marketing firm Opportune and performance marketing agency Neon in 2022. In 2023, it bought Salesforce consultancy and data analytics firm Cymetrix, alongside Poland-based WebTalk, marking its entry into Europe. It later added influencer marketing agency OPA and, last year, took a majority stake in BigStep Technologies, a generative AI and cloud-native software firm.
Madison, meanwhile, has long been a target for global advertising groups. Over the years, it has drawn interest from WPP, Publicis Groupe and Dentsu. In May 2025, Havas was reported to be the frontrunner, with an offer of about Rs 700 crore for a majority stake.
Earlier talks with WPP in 2015, when Madison was valued at roughly Rs 500 crore, collapsed over valuation and equity differences. Discussions with Publicis and Dentsu also failed to yield a deal.
