WPP Acquires Blast Radius

WPP is getting additional new media assets with the acquisition of Vancouver-based interactive shop Blast Radius.

Founded 10 years ago, Blast Radius's client roster includes AOL, Electronic Arts, Nike, and Starbucks. It earned roughly $60 million in revenue this year, and has offices in San Francisco, New York, Toronto, Amsterdam and London.

Following closing, Blast Radius will be aligned with Wunderman, WPP's marketing services and relationship marketing network.

"With its focus on creating interactive experiences with the customer at the core," said Wunderman CEO Daniel Morel, "Wunderman and Blast Radius are well-situated to provide unparalleled online relationship marketing capabilities."

Industrywide, independent ad agencies have become a rare breed. Along with several private equity firms, other agencies reportedly vying for Blast Radius' attention were Omnicom's TBWA network and Publicis Groupe's Saatchi & Saatchi.

Just last month, WPP acquired Schematic, a Los Angeles-based full-service digital agency with a client roster full of media and entertainment leaders. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. And this summer, its G2 Worldwide unit acquired independent digital shop Refinery, which generated revenue of $21 million last year, and whose clients include Merck, Campbell Soup and Merrill Lynch.

Also this summer, G2 acquired Star Echo, a China-based agency offering activation marketing throughout that region. Other recent grabs include MDS Boole, a data and metrics consultancy in Spain.

Schematic, which late last year was hired by the UK's ITV to design its video-on-demand site and media player, also regularly works with ABC, NBC Universal, MTV, CNN, Comcast, Time Warner and Turner. The eight-year-old agency had revenues for the year ending March 31 of $29.6 million, with gross assets of $8 million.

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