• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, December 13, 2007

Aegis Group, already a dominant player in the out-of-home media buying marketplace, is getting even bigger. Aegis's Posterscope unit, which already claims to be the No. 1 out-of-home media company in the world, this morning announced plans to acquire a 70% stake of Heartland Media Group, leading outdoor media company in one of the world's fastest growing advertising markets: China. The move comes as Posterscope simultaneously is expanding its role and presence in the world's largest advertising market: the United States.

Late last week, Aegis announced a reorganization that incorporates it's the Carat Brand Experience, its event marketing and experiential marketing division, into Posterscope, expanding the out-of-home media unit's role to include everything from events to street activation teams. As part of the move, Carat Brand Experience was renamed The Brand Experience. An earlier story in MediaDailyNews incorrectly implied that Posterscope was becoming a part of The Brand Experience.

The moves reflect a rethinking of the definition of out-of-home media, which has grown to incorporate digital out-of-home television networks. In recognition of that, Posterscope also recently launched a new unit, Hyperspace, to focus on the burgeoning digital out-of-home video marketplace.

"Worldwide, we're over $2 billion on an annual basis," says Todd Hansen, president of Posterscope USA, which is neck-and-neck with WPP Group's Kinetic as the largest buyers of out-of-home media in the United States, and who along with Omnicom's OMG unit and Publicis' Starcom unit, represent the Big 4 of the U.S. outdoor media buying industry. Unlike its rivals, Posterscope generates most of its business - about 60% - from advertisers who are not affiliated with its sister agencies.

The addition of The Brand Experience, Hansen says, is the next logical extension, as the ad industry begins rethinking the nature of advertising and marketing in public places, and the increasingly mobile nature of consumers.

One thing Posterscope has not incorporated is mobile marketing per se. That function continues to be located in other Aegis units like Carat Freestyle, but Hansen says the units work together as teams to service clients and to pitch new business.