• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, January 17, 2013

Dentsu's 360i unit is expanding internationally, opening an office in London in partnership with sister Dentsu shop STEAK. The meaty digital shop, which won a Creative Media Award Thursday night in the Social Media category for its "Great American Bacon Barter" campaign for Oscar Mayer, has designs on outgrowing its digital roots, much the way it expanded beyond its original core search expertise, to be the next-generation full-service agency model.

The expansion into the U.K. is the sixth outpost for 360i, which currently has a workforce of 500 people, and the first outside the U.S.

Rob Connolly, Dentsu’s former chief development officer, has been appointed U.K. managing director of 360i.  He reports to Oliver Bishop, CEO of STEAK Group, who takes on additional responsibility as CEO of newly formed 360i Europe.

“This expansion is a direct result of strong demand from our clients to increase our footprint and breadth of services abroad,” states Bryan Wiener, CEO of 360i and chairman of Dentsu North America, an operating unit comprised of Dentsu agencies including STEAK. “We’re already working with a handful of clients in the UK and having a local presence will immediately bolster our ability to meet their needs.”

Following Dentsu's acquisition of Aegis Group this year, 360i and Dentsu's other major U.S. agency groups are expected to be reorganized under Aegis' aegis.