Publicis Groupe: ZenithOptimedia acquires performance marketing agency Frubis

Regulatory News:

ZenithOptimedia, part of Publicis Groupe (Paris:PUB) [Euronext Paris FR0000130577, CAC 40], announced today the acquisition of Frubis, one of the leading performance marketing agencies in Latin America. This follows the recent acquisition of FirstClick in Australia and continues the group’s ongoing investment programme into performance marketing.

Founded in 2009 by a breakaway team from Google, Frubis has its headquarters in Buenos Aires, where it employs over 60 people. In 2012, Frubis expanded into Colombia, setting up an office in Bogota. Frubis offers brands a full range of performance marketing services, including: display advertising, social media, search engine optimisation, search engine marketing, programmatic buying, analytics, data management and planning. Frubis works with many leading clients in Latin America, including: AIG, BBVA, Falabella, Direct TV, Merck Sharpe & Dohme, MetLife, and Sodimac.

Frubis will become part of Performics, ZenithOptimedia’s global performance marketing network. The agency will be led by its current Managing Director Germán Rinaldi, and the management team of Santiago Lombardi, Joaquín Muro, Agustín Rinaldi and Mauricio Heck.

Investing in performance marketing solutions through the development of the Performics network is a key growth strategy for the ZenithOptimedia Group. Performance media, which includes measurable, ‘biddable’ channels such as paid search, programmatic display and paid social, has seen considerable global growth in recent years, with expected growth of 19.1% globally for 2015 (eMarketer).

Germán Rinaldi, CEO of Frubis, said: "Frubis has enjoyed impressive growth since launch and we are now delighted to move to the next stage in the development of the agency by joining Performics Worldwide. Becoming part of such a respected and well-resourced global network will give us access to Performics’ range of tools and capabilities and enable us and our clients to benefit from exposure to international best practices.”

Michael Kahn, CEO, Performics Worldwide, said: "Frubis has developed an enviable reputation in the region for its considerable expertise in digital platforms and its range of digital marketing solutions. Argentina is a key market for our group of companies so we are thrilled to have Frubis become part of the global Performics network, which continues to expand, through both organic growth and key acquisitions around the world.”

Latin America has one of the fastest growing regional ad markets in the world and is a key growth region for the ZenithOptimedia group of companies. ZenithOptimedia forecasts adspend in Latin America to grow 8.5% in 2016, well ahead of the 5.0% global growth rate and twice the rate of North America. While less advanced than in some developed markets, digital advertising is growing rapidly in Latin America, with digital adspend forecast to grow 27.2% in the region in 2016, compared to 15.2% for the world as a whole.

About ZenithOptimedia

ZenithOptimedia - www.zenithoptimedia.com - is a leading global media services network with over 7,500 people working in 262 offices across 74 countries. We are part of Publicis Groupe [Euronext Paris FR0000130577, CAC 40], the world’s third largest communications group, and the world’s second largest media agency group. As the first agency to apply a rigorous and objective approach to improving the effectiveness of marketing spend, ZenithOptimedia delivers to clients the best possible return on their communications investment. This philosophy is supported by a unique approach to strategy development and implementation across the full spectrum of paid, owned and earned contact points – the Live ROI planning process. The ZenithOptimedia Group of companies equips our clients with a full range of integrated skills across communications planning, value optimisation, performance media and content creation. Our key clients include Aviva, Clarins, Coty, Kering, Lactalis, L’Oréal, LVMH, Nestlé, Oracle, RB, Richemont Groupe, SCA, Sanofi, Toyota and 21^st Century Fox.

About Performics

Performics is a global performance marketing agency for the world’s most respected brands. The agency activates data to motivate participation, drive performance and optimize for action across paid, earned and owned digital channels. Founded in 1998 and headquartered in Chicago, the Performics network is active across 40 countries. Performics is a ZenithOptimedia company and the performance marketing specialist within Publicis Groupe. www.performics.com

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