• by Steve McClellan , January 10, 2014

Publicis Groupe said Friday it has acquired Washington, DC-based PR, social and digital agency Qorvis Communications. Terms were not disclosed, but the holding company said it would become part of its MSLGroup subsidiary.

As part of the Qorvis acquisition, MSLGROUP is also buying Clarus Research Group, led by Ronald A. Faucheux, the public opinion and public affairs analyst. Publicis said Faucheux would play a leadership role in MSLGROUP North America's overall planning and analytics offering.

The combined MSLGROUP and Qorvis operations in Washington, D.C. will operate under the name of Qorvis MSLGROUP. It will be led by Qorvis founder and Managing Partner Michael Petruzzello. He will report to Renee Wilson, president of MSLGROUP North America.

Qorvis has 80 staffers with clients that include Cisco Systems, Mayo Clinic, The United States Institute For Peace, The American Pharmacists Association, Saudi Arabia and Sri Lanka.

"The acquisition of Qorvis allows us to bring our clients around the world important new relationships and capabilities inside the Beltway and beyond," said Wilson.

The acquisition comes during the same week that MDC Partners announced it had taken a majority stake in Luntz Global, also based in the Washington area and which, like Qorvis helps corporate brands and political clients shape public opinion.