WPP Buys Control of Indian Social Media Agency

Marcoms giant WPP has acquired a majority stake in Mumbai-based social media marketing agency Social Wavelength, which offers a range of brand communication, social media outreach, and social media monitoring solutions. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Social Wavelength was set up in 2009 and now has a team of around 170 staff offering services across social media marketing, buying and app development. Its social media monitoring service includes online reputation management, brand ring-fencing, business intelligence gathering and competition benchmarking. In addition, the firm finds brand advocates and brand influencers by building communities, and it is a reseller for social media monitoring tool Radian6.

Led by Joint CEOs Sanjay Mehta and Hareesh Tibrewala, Social Wavelength also has offices in Delhi and Chennai, and had revenues of INR 91.5m (c.$1.5m) for the year ended 31st March 2013.

WPP says the acquisition, made through its JWT marcoms subsidiary, is part of its strategy to develop its networks in fast-growing markets and sectors. In India, the group generates revenues of nearly $500m and employs almost 13,000 people, and Social Wavelength is its fifth acquisition in the country in the last four years.

Web sites: www.wpp.com , www.jwt.com and www.socialwavelength.com .