Publicis Buys Brazilian Digital Agency AG2

Publicis Groupe announced today that it has signed an agreement to acquire AG2, one of the largest independent digital agencies in Brazil and a specialist in competitive intelligence. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The agency will be aligned with digital arm Publicis Modem, which employs around 1,400 professionals in 40 offices worldwide. The newly acquired firm will be renamed AG2 Publicis Modem and will continue to be led by CEO Cesar Paz, reporting to Orlando Marques, CEO of Publicis Brazil.

Headquartered in Porto Alegre with offices in Sao Paulo and Pelotas, AG2 employs approximately 170 communications specialists. The company says the acquisition underlines its continued commitment to investing in digital and high-growth markets. AG2 is the most recent addition to the Publicis Modem digital network.

Publicis employs nearly 750 staff in Brazil, which is considered one of the most promising advertising markets in the world. Ad spend expanded rapidly during the five years leading to 2008 with online the star performer, growing by at least 40% each year.

The world's third largest communications group, Publicis' activities span 104 countries on five continents. In total the group employs approximately 46,000 professionals and its subsidiaries include Leo Burnett, Saatchi & Saatchi, Starcom MediaVest, ZenithOptimedia Digitas, and Razorfish.

Publicis profits for the first half, announced last week, rose by 27.5% to EUR 213M.

The company is on line at www.publicisgroupe.com .