• by Larissa Faw , June 3, 2015

Publicis Groupe is acquiring Match Media, one of Australia’s leading independent media agencies with $170 million in billings and a staff of 75.

Founded in 2003 by John Preston, the agency is headquartered in Sydney and specializes in media strategy and buying, digital planning and buying, search, social and analytics.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

With the acquisition, Match Media will become part of ZenithOptimedia Group’s newly launched global media network, Blue 449. Match Media will retain its management team under the leadership of Preston as CEO and James Simmons, COO. They will report to Gerry Boyle, Global Managing Partner/APAC Chairman, ZenithOptimedia.

Publicis launched the Blue 449 network in February with the rebranding of Walker Media in London. There are now four Blue 449 hubs – Australia, France, Italy and UK – and a further 13 are planned for launch by the end of the year. Match Media will be the vanguard to expansion of the Blue 449 network across Asia-Pacific. The concept behind Blue 449 is to link all of its agencies under an "open source" network enabling clients to benefit from expertise offered by each agency.

“Blue 449 is a new global network comprised of like-minded entrepreneurs who are embracing technology and data as a means to delivering growth for clients," says Boyle. "As a progressive digitally focused agency, Match Media is the perfect fit and we are pleased to announce their addition to the Blue 449 network.”

For Match Media, the acquisition will provide it with more resources and scale. “This is the natural next big step in the story of Match," says Preston. "We have been on a continual journey of improvement and have built what we believe to be an excellent foundation. The time is right to leverage the assets that Blue 449 can bring to our clients, people and business to grow and create another chapter of pushing the boundaries in the media agency landscape.”

advertisement

advertisement