• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, June 11, 2008

Aegis Group this morning announced the acquisition of MenCompany, an experiential marketing company in Italy that specializes in strategy, consultancy and execution in events marketing and unconventional media.

MenCompany, which has a client roster including Intel, Indesit, Philips, Samsung and L'Oreal Group, will become part of Aegis Media's burgeoning sponsorship and experiential marketing network, and organization that now boast 500 specialists worldwide, operating in 26 offices in 20 countries. Other recent acquisitions in the sector include JJP in the Nordics and Vivid in North America.

The build out is part of Aegis' broader strategy for dominating the so-called conversational media marketplace, and complements the digital marketing capabilities of Carat and Molecular, as well as the out-of-home media dominance of Posterscope, which are increasingly straying into experiential turf.

"As brands seek new ways to engage with consumers, [sponsorship and experiential marketing] is a fast-growing market sector," stated Aegis CEO Robert Lerwill. "This move is consistent with our commitment to develop our skills in areas with the swiftest growth. We are developing a global network of [sponsorship and experiential marketing] specialists to complement our existing strengths in media, out-of-home and digital."