Dentsu Aegis Buys Indian OOH Agency

Marcoms giant Dentsu Aegis Network has acquired India-based out-of-home (OOH) media agency Milestone Brandcom, whose offer includes a range of OOH consumer insight and campaign tracking services. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Founded in October 2009 by former OgilvyAction exec Nabendu Bhattacharyya (pictured), Mumbai-based Milestone Brandcom's services include the recently launched 'Milestone Optimizer' tool which provides gross impression points for 25,000 sites across India, and 'M Insight', which helps clients with scientific media planning. In addition, the firm's 'M Tracker' monitors campaigns across India in real-time, while 'M Brand Simulator' can be used to determine the visibility and readability of an advert prior to its release.

As part of the deal, the firms say Milestone Brandcom will retain its identity, branding and culture while sharing its knowledge with the group. Dentsu Aegis says combining the acquired firm with its existing Posterscope division will make it the leader in the OOH and OOH retail markets in India.

Bhattacharyya will continue as CEO and MD, reporting to Ashish Bhasin, Chairman and CEO of Dentsu Aegis Network South Asia. In a statement, Bhattacharyya said the firms would be 'stronger together' and added: 'OOH will become more and more important in India and we are confident that as market leaders we will be at the forefront of this progress.'

Web sites: www.dentsuaegisnetwork.com and www.milestonemedia.in .