Publicis Groupe Partners with the Troyka Group in Africa

Regulatory News:

Publicis Groupe (Paris:PUB) [Euronext Paris FR0000130577, CAC 40] announces an equity partnership with the communications arm of The Troyka Group, the first wholly integrated marketing communications service provider in West Africa, including a total of 6 agencies: Insight Communications, The Thinkshop, All Seasons Media, Media Perspectives, The Quadrant Company, and Hotsauce.

Publicis Groupe has continually invested in Africa over the last several years, taking advantage of the strong growth potential of this market. Through this equity acquisition, Publicis Groupe will launch its network in Nigeria from within the Troyka Group, creating a powerful communications entity that will allow for competitive advantage across all areas of operation in the West African landscape.

Starting out with Insight Communications in 1980, the communications arm of Troyka Group today has over 300 employees and 6 offices across the region. Troyka companies work with multinational brands such as Heineken Shell, Samsung, Unilever, Google, Procter and Gamble, Microsoft, Ford and Axa, as well as local clients such as Oando, Nestoil, Africa Investor, Jagal and Olam.

Kevin Tromp, CEO of Publicis Africa Group commented: "The Troyka Group communication companies are the gold standard in Nigeria, with a range of long-term blue-chip client relationships, and a portfolio of multi-disciplinary work that is world-class. We are very excited about the opportunities that this partnership presents for our clients, and believe that the combination Publicis Groupe’s global expertise combined with the Troyka Group’s local strength will provide an unbeatable partnership in this challenging and fast developing market.”

The integration of Troyka companies together with Publicis Groupe’s media, public relations, and advertising networks will service a wide range of blue-chip local and multi-national brands.

• Insight Communications, the largest and most sophisticated agency in Nigeria, will be rebranded as Publicis Insight and will trade as the representative of Publicis Worldwide in Nigeria. The agency will work closely with all other Publicis Worldwide network agencies as a fully-fledged network partner.
• The Thinkshop, one of Nigeria’s youngest agencies with a knack for great work that truly moves people, will be aligned into a multi-door operation of Leo Burnett and Saatchi & Saatchi in the market. Leo Burnett will operate as a stand-alone entity representing the worldwide network in Nigeria.
• All Seasons Media, Nigeria’s pioneer independent media agency, will be aligned with Zenith. All Seasons Media leverages deep consumer insights to build and implement strategies that have given it the reputation for providing media efficiencies and strong ROI.
• Media Perspectives, Nigeria’s number 1 media advertising agency in billings, will be aligned with Starcom. The agency uses Nigeria’s first and only cloud-based media ERP, leveraging tech-enabled operations to provide transparent processes for clients.
• The Quadrant Company is Nigeria’s first full service public relations agency, offering specialist services with coverage of the West African region, and was honored in 2012 as the Holmes Report Sabre Awards African PR Consultancy of the Year. The agency will be aligned with MSLGROUP.
• Hotsauce is Nigeria’s most awarded digital marketing agency and has been named Digital Agency of the Year three years in a row by the Marketing World Awards. The agency will be aligned with Nurun, one of the world’s fastest growing digital networks.

According to the Chairman of Troyka Group, Mr. Biodun Shobanjo, "We are indeed excited with the opportunities being thrown open with this partnership. The choice of Publicis as an equity partner advents a new epoch in marketing communication services in Nigeria as it up-scales the value we currently deliver to clients. Being the first of its kind in the Nigerian environment, the Publicis / Troyka partnership, will avail us access to global tools, process and platforms while helping to redefine route to market for the brands we work for, the ultimate consequence being better outcomes in terms of market expansion and growth.”

Nigeria is Africa’s most populous nation and is predicted to be a top 20-world economy by 2030 according to McKinsey Global Institute. The advertising market in Nigeria is worth approximately $1 billion and has seen a 21% compound annual growth rate in the last ten years. According to ZenithOptimedia, advertising expenditure is expected to generate a 3.9% growth in 2016 and reach 4.7% at current prices by 2017.

About Publicis Groupe – The Power of One
Publicis Groupe [Euronext Paris FR0000130577, CAC 40] is a global leader in marketing, communication, and business transformation. Active across the entire value chain, from consulting to creation and execution, Publicis Groupe offers its clients a unified, fluid model allowing them access to all the Groupe’s tools and expertise around the world. Publicis Groupe is organized across four Solutions hubs: "Publicis Communications” (Publicis Worldwide with MSL, Saatchi & Saatchi, Leo Burnett, BBH, and Prodigious), "Publicis Media” (Starcom, Zenith, Mediavest | Spark, and Optimedia | Blue 449); "Publicis.Sapient” a one of a kind global digital platform (Sapient Consulting, SapientNitro, DigitasLBi, Razorfish ) and Publicis Healthcare. Present in 108 countries, the Groupe employs more than 77,000 professionals.
www.publicisgroupe.com | Twitter: @PublicisGroupe | Facebook: www.facebook.com/publicisgroupe | LinkedIn: Publicis Groupe | http://www.youtube.com/user/PublicisGroupe | Viva la Difference!

About Publicis Africa Group
Publicis Africa Group is the fastest growing network of communication agencies in Africa. It is a part of the Publicis Groupe, one of the world's largest communications holding companies, and consists of companies that specialize in all aspects of the modern communication mix. Publicis Africa Group encompasses Saatchi & Saatchi, Publicis Worldwide, Leo Burnett, Arc, Starcom, Zenith and DigitasLBi, and serves a wide range of multi-national and local client companies across the continent. The Group has 51 partner agencies in Sub-Saharan Africa, with equity stakes in 20 of the agencies outside of South Africa, and majority ownership in a further 11 agencies in South Africa.

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