Publicis Acquires Digital Marketer Convonix

Mumbai-India-APublicis Groupe has acquired Mumbai, India-based digital marketing firm Convonix. It’s the fifth agency that the holding company has acquired in the country over the past year. Terms were not disclosed.

Convonix currently employs a staff of over 200 and provides a number of services, including search engine optimization, paid search marketing, social media marketing and online reputation management. Clients include, Taj Hotels, Reliance Industries, Kodak and Mahindra Group.

The firm will be aligned with global media agency network Starcom MediaVest Group. “As the first SEO organization in India, Convonix has continued to innovate and build the very best digital capability,” stated Laura Desmond, SMG’s global CEO.

The acquisition and the other recent agency purchases in the country are designed to help Publicis achieve its stated goal of doubling its size in India between 2010 and 2015. According to ZenithOptimedia, also a unit of Publicis Groupe, search marketing expenditures will increase more than 70% in India over the next two years.

Convonix, established in 2003 will continue to be led by its three founding members, including CEO Vishal Sampat, and the company’s two co-COOs, Sarfaraz Khimani and Pallav Jain.

According to Publicis, Convonix has a strong international footprint with over 60% of its business coming from overseas. The firm recently developed a proprietary in-house brand monitoring and social listening platform called IrisTrack.

Other Indian shops acquired by Publicis over the past year include Indigo Consulting, Resultrix, iStrat and MarketGate.

The holding company is expected to make further acquisitions in the country, according to Srikant Sastri, chairman, VivaKi India, the Publicis media oversight arm. “We are continuing to explore other agencies that can help us capitalize on the outstanding potential of the digital marketplace in India,” Sastri stated.

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