Publicis Groupe expands digital activities in South Asia

BANGALORE, INDIA: Publicis Groupe has announced the rebranding of Solutions, the India and Singapore-based marketing services arm of Publicis Groupe, as Solutions|Digitas.  This strategic development marks the next step in the international deployment of the Digitas global network.

This new entity will leverage Solutions' regional leadership with Digitas' global reach and business development resources. Under the new structure, Solutions|Digitas will be led by Solutions' founders, Srikant Sastri, Managing Director, and Kanika Mathur, Director and President. The two will report in to Alan Rutherford, CEO of Digitas Global.

Solutions|Digitas will continue to service Solutions' existing clients as well as offering an Indian service for its' global clients. The new company will also develop its Prodigious division, a standalone Digital Asset production company, servicing the Groupe's agencies and their clients.  With headquarters in New Delhi, it will operate in six cities in India (Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kolkata) as well as in Singapore.  

Since joining Publicis Groupe early last year, Digitas has expanded into the United Kingdom, Greater China including Hong Kong, Japan and France. The launch of Solutions|Digitas is a key move strengthening Digitas' presence in Asia, and reinforcing Publicis Groupe's commitment to expand digital into emerging markets, and to grow digital market share across the globe.

Solutions Integrated Marketing Services was founded in 1995, and it was acquired by Publicis Groupe in 2006.  Its strength is its integrated offering which spans direct, digital, promotions and shopper marketing.

The Groupe already has a well-established presence in India through its advertising networks Publicis, Leo Burnett and Saatchi; media networks Starcom MediaVest Group and ZenithOptimedia; and marketing services operations including Solutions and Hanmer & Partners. Altogether, Publicis Groupe employs more than 1,700 employees in India. 

Alan Rutherford, CEO, Digitas Global, said: "This decisive step once again illustrates our commitment to establishing a cutting-edge international digital network. We're thrilled to be working with Srikant, Kanika, and their teams at Solutions, the top marketing services agency in India, and bringing their talent into our global network is a huge advantage for Digitas and for our clients."

Srikant Sastri, Managing Director, Solutions, was also enthusiastic about this development: "We're very excited to join forces with Digitas to leverage their impressive range of interactive and digital capabilities.  Our goal now is to become a leading digital agency in India as well as India's top marketing services agency.  The match in corporate culture is one of the key reasons I am confident that we can achieve this."