• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, August 14, 2013

Not satisfied with creating the biggest merger in the history of Adland (assuming it goes through) Publicis Groupe said Wednesday it has purchased Columbus, Ohio-based advertising and digital shop Engauge Marketing. Terms weren’t disclosed.

Engauge will become part of the ZenithOptimedia Group in the United States and will be aligned with Moxie, the Group's digital advertising agency based in Atlanta. But both the Engauge and Moxie brands will continue to be offered in the marketplace.

Publicis claimed that combined, Moxie and Engauge will have more than 600 employees and will comprise the largest array of digital marketing resources in the Southeast. The shops provide services in the areas of strategy, creative, social marketing, media, data analytics and technology development.

Tim Jones, CEO of ZenithOptimedia Group, North America stated: "This union expands the range of communication services we can provide to clients, particularly in social marketing and content marketing.”

Launched in 2007, Engauge was formed from the union of Ten United, a Columbus-based advertising agency with offices in Pittsburgh and Orlando; Spunlogic, a digital marketing services company in Atlanta; and Direct Impact, a data analytics and CRM company in Austin, Texas.

With the acquisition Publicis continues its build-up of digitally focused agencies, which include DigitasLBi, Razorfish and Rosetta.

The Engauge deal is not a total surprise. Earlier this year, Publicis said that it had earmarked $4 billion for acquisitions over the next five years that would focus on digital and emerging markets.

The seller was Halyard Capital, the New York-based private equity firm which was majority owner of Engauge.